Fruitful Fear

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30).  “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear (Greek ευλαβεομαι, eulabeomai: being circumspect), prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith” (Hebrews 11:7). 

There is a fruitful, godly fear

That finds delight in pleasing God,

That knows His way is right and clear

And every other way is flawed. 

A godly fear is confident

Which knows the Lord is in control,

That pleads with sinners to repent,

And wisely seeks to win a soul.

This fruitful fear was on display

In Noah, who with God had walked,

When all the earth had gone astray

And those who feared the Lord were mocked. 

Yet Noah’s fear was circumspect;

He found God’s grace upon his path.   

He heard the voice of God direct

The way to save his house from wrath. 

Though all the earth would hate the light,

Preferring evil in the dark,

The path that Noah took was right,

Thus moved with fear to build the ark. 

As in those days when souls were warned

Of global judgment from the Lord,

Humanity today has scorned

The wrath to come they have ignored.

O Lord, we preach of saving grace,

As in the ark in type we view  

The sinner’s only Hiding Place,

The Refuge that we find in You. 

O Lord, may fruitful fear be found

In us today before You come,

As with Your Gospel we abound

By every means to yet save some.