Stand in Awe: The Power of Reverent Thought Against Sin

Psalm 4:4 commands us to "stand in awe"—a remedy as potent in the Victorian conscience as in our own. All sin is an offense against Elohim, and nothing corrects it more powerfully than worthy thoughts of God and our relation to Him.

Those who maintain no habitual thought of Yahweh, who do not set Him before them in daily walk, forfeit the principle and power to prevent evil's admission. If you would cease from sinning, stand in awe. Let fear and dread arise from a sense of the Almighty's power, holiness, justice, and presence. Only a due sense of Elohim's presence—and our relation to Him under the gospel covenant—enables us to stand firm against evil.

The awful feeling phobos theon (fear of God), which every rational creature owes the Creator, must be formed, cherished, and carried into daily scenes as a powerful preservative from sin. Even under the covenant of loving-kindness and tender mercy, pious awe remains necessary.

This serious frame of mind becomes the guardian of religion itself. In solemn silence, the soul forms those great resolutions that decide human destiny. Reverence is suited to our uncertain, transient state—a fitting preparation for the change of being that awaits us. A serious, devoted mind is no less the companion of a feeling heart, cherishing those higher virtues called "the armour of God."