How To Fear God by Candace Echols
Proverbs 19:23: The fear of the Lord leads to life and whoever has it rests satisfied.
Take a deep breath.
God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life.
Job said, “the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
Breath again.
That is God’s very breath.
Do it again.
God gave you that breath.
And the next one.
And the next one.
You are breathing life, which God gives you moment by moment intentionally.
You aren’t just living because you haven’t died yet, like a Duracell.
You’re living because God says, “Daveney, here’s the breath of life. Here’s another one. And another.”
Breathe and remember where your breath comes from.
Be small.
Find places to go that make you feel small.
The mountains terrify me.
I could get hurt in a million ways in the mountains because they are so big, so grand and so awesome—and I am just me.
My husband goes to the beach to know
the fear of God.
He stares out at the black of night and the mysterious waves,
especially if he’s on a boat with no land in sight.
He’s not strong enough to save himself in all that
darkness.
Intentionally go places that reminds you of your smallness.
Wonder.
Be still.
Allow your mind to go wherever it wants and pay attention to the journey.
Sing—even the sad songs. I always thought “Sing to the Lord a new song” meant “Sing to the Lord a Happy Song.” But one day, I sang to the Lord a sad song that sounded more like an ugly groan because it was all I had. The Holy Spirit gave me something better than a hug.
He gave me himself.
Ask the questions you really want to ask, the ones underneath the pretty questions.
God can handle any question you can handle asking (and you’ll have some doozies, no doubt).
Look at the stars regularly. Yesterday, I read an article that said they found a new thing in space—a thing they’ve never seen before.
I wonder if God is creating new things, or just revealing his old creation to us little by little?
I wonder.
Pray with your body.
Sometimes without words.
Your posture has the power to convey the depths of your soul in ways your words can’t always come up with.
I want something very badly right now—a different home. Every time I drive past houses that I’d love to have, I sit in my minivan driver’s seat with my hands on my knees.
Palms up.
God knows that desire is too deep for words anymore.
This journey has gone on too long to say it again.
It hurts too much.
So, I point my heart towards him
and release my 4-year-old prayer to him.
Again.
And I do it with my palms up.
Obey God.
There are hidden treasures found there.
I am obeying God in an area right now that I completely disagree with him on,
but I’m discovering peace I didn’t know before.
Every so often, throughout your life, get really close to the mirror and study your face.
Closer.
When you’re overwhelmed by how you’ve never really changed—you’ve always been the same—you’ll know you’ve caught a little glimpse of your own soul.
That’s pretty cool.
Remind yourself that you didn’t think up your own face, God did. God made your face.
Not you.
Don’t get the two confused.
He made you and he knows what’s best for you.
Obey him.
Walk and pray at the same time.
There’s something about the step, step, step of your feet
—one after the other—
that helps your mind to think, think, think thoughts
—one after the other—
just like that.
Things that are terribly tangled in your head work themselves out when you talk to God while you walk.
I almost always cry when I go on a walk with God. I never mean to, but walking brings it all out.
And it feels so good to cry sometimes.
This sounds weird, but it’s a true mystery.
I’ve always heard people talk about “walking with God.”
The real magic happens when you actually
walk with God.