When the world around seems dark and grim,
When the wrong seems strong, and hope has fled;
Preserve me Lord from violent men,
You are my God, be quick to save.
We are your redeemed, adopted as sons,
Saved by the blood of the Lamb.
Disperse the fear of unrighteous men,
Instill in us Your holiness.
Let us fear Your Name, fear God alone:
Unholy terror melts away in the Light of your Glory, Lord,
Peace comes to control in the presence of your spirit
Break our sinful hearts and rebuild them as yours,
Take our wicked lives and reform them as Christ!
He is our Lord, our God, our King;
Now His standard and His word we will follow and obey.
Make us worthy o Lord, of your love.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One brings understanding.

To properly fear God, you must have a correct understanding of who you are, and who God is. For example, I was (apart from Christ) a worm, sinful, hopeless, powerless to change even the color of one hair on my head. On the other hand, God is all glorious, all just, all wise, and all powerful creator who spoke the world into being. And before I was in Christ, God was at war with me and I was his sworn enemy. God could snuff my life into everlasting damnation with one word, and all I could do was bring glory to Him anyway by my destruction.

If that doesn’t strike terror into your heart as an enemy of God, your heart is hard and callous. You see, it’s a good thing that the sinner fear God. It makes his heart soft and supple for the rest of the message.

You see, while I was yet a sinner (the avowed enemy of God) Christ died to clear my record and set me straight with God. Now, God is no longer at war with me, and through the sanctifying power of Christ, I am becoming no longer at war with God. Now, God is no longer angry with me, but it is still wise to fear His name. Fear of the holiness of God will only serve to mortify my flesh more and more. Not only should I fear the holiness of God, but also His displeasure, and that out of love.

In the sight of the holiness of God, mere men are nothing. In comparison with His power, the greatest of earth are but mites. So, if you have a correct understanding of God, the fear of men, the unholy terror, will simply fade away. For if God is on your side, who can be against?