Fear and Conversions

“Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.” (Isa 60:5 AV)

A thought occurred.  Could it be the fear of God and conversions of the lost are related?  What I mean is, could the people of God be losing their fear of God because we are not witnessing the conversion of the lost as we once did?  We often equate this relationship in the opposite direction.  Because the people of God lack fear, then the wicked are not converted.  But what if the opposite is also true?  What if the lack of conversions also results in a lack of fear?  Putting it another way, if we do not see the most obvious and dramatic moving of the Holy Spirit, then would we also lose a bit of God-consciousness and thus fear?  It seems plausible.

Working as a chaplain, I was able to see doctors perform many services. From the mundane to the dramatic, witnessing a doctor save a life effects one’s perception of him or her far more than witnessing a check-up.  The more dramatic the task, the more respect grew in the heart of the observer.  It shouldn’t be so.  Whether the doctor is checking blood pressure, listening to the heart, or rescuing the body from the throws of death didn’t change who he was, what he knew, or what he was capable of.  He was the same person regardless of what service he provided.  The same is true of God.  Whether souls are saved or not, He is still the same God as He always was.  Whether creating all in six days, or making it rain on the just and the unjust, He is still the same God.  Whether parting the Red Sea or breaking bread among friends, He is still the same God.  Our fear should be the same regardless of our experience with the hand of God.

Nonetheless, conversions would go a long way towards establishing a proper relationship of fear towards the God whom we claim to worship.  I wonder how many prayers for the saving of souls include the result of increased fear of God.  I wonder how concerned God’s people are with our perception of God as suffering because of a lack of conversions.  I wonder if we pray for conversions solely for the purpose of glory for the name of God.  If we were to be honest and admit to the LORD that our perception of Him is suffering because of a lack of conversions, it may change how we pray and how diligently we would be to witness to the lost.  If we were to approach our soul-winning as a desire to see the hand of God move like it once did, rather than other honorable motives, it might just change who and what we are and how we are towards the God whom we serve.  If our walk is suffering from a lack of a healthy fear of God, maybe we should redouble our efforts to witness to the lost, begging God to save them that we might grow more and more in the fear of God.