The Surprising Link Between Gentleness and the Fear of the LORD

Never-Ending Celebration, Appreciation, and Compassion

Where have you encountered gentleness?

Is your life characterized by gentleness?

Do you think gentleness is a desirable trait?

Gentleness has been an enigma to me (see my previous article). I am not naturally gentle. God has been leading me on a journey towards gentleness and I want to bring you with me. It’s been exciting, fun, and eye-opening. There’s challenge and encouragement. You won’t be the same.

When we dissect out what gentleness really means, we see that the Bible uses gentleness and meekness to describe Jesus’ heart (Matthew 11:29), and the fruit of the Spirit. Someone can be strong and gentle at the same time, but gentleness is what makes them great in God’s kingdom, because only divine strength leads to gentleness.

The fear of the LORD comes from the belief that God’s wrath is the most terrifying thing in the universe. The recent flooding and devastation in Texas should bring to mind the world-wide flood in Genesis 7 when God unleashed His wrath on the earth for its violence and corruption, preserving just eight people in the ark. Jesus explained why natural disasters happen in His statement in Luke 13:3, “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish,” in that all of us are deserving of God’s wrath. Repentance is the only way we can fear the LORD and love the LORD at the same time, because of Jesus. He took the wrath we deserved so that we could be free from the fear of judgment (1 John 4:18). Do you think about the wrath of God every day? If we properly ponder God’s wrath, we will see more gentleness in our lives.

Here’s how gentleness comes from the fear of the LORD: Jesus took all our wrath, therefore we celebrate in any circumstance because we are free, we appreciate this undeserved gift along with all God’s good works, and we have compassion on those who have not received this gift but are still under God’s terrifying wrath. Let’s look at Psalms 110-112 for each of these three transformational points.

Celebration- Psalm 110

Psalm 110 is the most highly quoted psalm in the New Testament. Jesus is clearly the fulfillment of this psalm, as He uses it to silence the Pharisees in Matthew 22:41-46, Mark 12:35-37, and Luke 20:41-44.

The people of God are described in verse 3 as “offering themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments,” demonstrating their complete and utter love and loyalty to their mighty King. His victory is certain, world-wide, and decisive. He will shatter kings on the day of His wrath. This King is worthy of all our fear, reverence, awe, and worship, as well as our ebullient love, devotion, and celebration. He is the only King who is also our High Priest, interceding for us to God in our weakness, providing the mercy and grace we always need.

When we celebrate Christ’s victory now, we become gentle. We see all our circumstances as inconsequential in comparison with His final victory. We can be content and fully present in the moment, not wishing to be anywhere else, because we are following our mighty King to ultimate victory. Our King is fully God and fully man, born out of a womb of a woman (verse 3), drinking water from a brook, but also high and lifted up for eternity by Almighty God (verse 7). Let the fear of the LORD lead you to a chronic state of celebration. Offer yourself freely to Him in the holy garments that He gave you, purchased on the cross with His blood. God has sworn to give Him victory, and nothing can stop God or change His mind. We can correct our opponents with gentleness in the hope that they too can share in Christ’s victory (2 Timothy 2:25).

Appreciation- Psalm 111

Gratitude is essential for good mental health, and can remove anxiety from our minds (See

Dr. Lee Warren

’s articles and podcast). The enemy of gratitude is entitlement. What are we actually entitled to? We are entitled to God’s wrath and judgment because of our sin and rebellion. When we think we entitled to something better than wrath, we aren’t thankful for the gifts that God has given us, or we are raging with anger that we didn’t get what we deserved.

Psalm 111 will help us to truly experience gratitude and the fear of the LORD. We are so thankful for His mighty works, specifically His grace and mercy in providing redemption for us. We are no longer under His wrath, we are now His chosen and loved people, washed by the blood of Jesus and made righteous for eternity. We are brought into the New Covenant, with every other benefit that accompanies salvation. Whose are we? We are His. Gaze on Jesus hanging on the cross, and you will start to be filled with appreciation for your salvation and His sacrifice that made it possible. Repent of entitlement, release your “rights,” and receive the fear of the LORD. We please God with our gratitude, praise, and thanksgiving.

Gentleness and gratitude are linked because we now see correctly. God’s infinite abundance is more real than our perceived scarcity. We are well-provided for, and we are eternally safe in Jesus. We don’t have to lash out in self-defense. We don’t have to elbow our way to the top. We don’t have to fear that our needs will not be met. We can let others go first, cheer their victories for the kingdom, and remind them of God’s greatness in a way they can hear us.

Compassion- Psalm 112

True compassion can only come from God. I can’t generate it myself. My default mode is harsh, unmoved, and judgmental. When I fear the LORD, I delight greatly in God’s commandments fulfilled by Jesus on my behalf. I remind myself of all the benefits I have in Christ, and I look at those who don’t know Jesus with different eyes. They are still under the crushing weight of God’s wrath. I am now free and no longer afraid of judgment. I have great pleasure in pleasing God, which they cannot understand. I am experiencing eternal true love—self-giving, glorifying, and submitting—with my Creator and God.

Psalm 112 emphasizes the great contrast between the righteous and the wicked. Here is what defines a person: either they made righteous in Christ apart from works, or they are haters of God. Wicked people are angry, gnashing their teeth at the honor and joy of the righteous. The righteous see their desires granted in God, but the wicked person’s desires will perish. The wicked are not beyond God’s power to save. When we fear the LORD, we see the urgency of repentance for all mankind. We repent for the sins of our country, our community, and our families, as if they are our own sins, because the wrath of God is real and we have the godly desire for redemption and restoration.

We never have to be afraid of bad news, because we are firm in our trust of the LORD—He has permanently removed His wrath from us. This safe place we enjoy does not lead us to complacency but to urgent intercession. We call out good and evil around us with gentleness and pray for repentance. Our enemy is the devil, not our fellow man.

I love to receive God’s gentleness in my life. I love when He speaks tenderly to me, and reminds me of His presence, His love, His delight in me. He is my God and the love of my heart, my biggest fan and my strong refuge of safety. I have never been more confident in my identity in Christ, all because I love and understand the fear of the LORD. Now I have hope that I will be gentle like Jesus, and also courageous and bold, making an eternal difference in this world by ushering in the kingdom of God through intercessory prayer, deep relationships, and the firm foundation of the gospel. Celebrate always, appreciate deeply, love mercy and compassion, and you will see these changes in your life as well.

Photo by Caleb Gregory on Unsplash