The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

There we were… 70 feet above the ground! One slip… one misstep… and BOOM!!!! 911 would be replaced with a call to the coroner. Undaunted… fearless even… I looked to my left to see my ‘partner in height’ standing on the 8” wide walking plank… holding onto… NOTHING! As my fingertips leaned against the wall in front of me for support, I felt beaten and small. I felt WORSE when he MENTIONED it…“I saw you holding on!!! The shame was embarrassing!

In reality we WEREN’T 70’ up. But from ground to feet, it was about 13’. If you counted from the ground to eye level it was 18’…. or 70’ if you were in the middle of the plank! Which I was! Oh… and the plank was 14” wide, not 8”. But it SEEMED like it! And yes, I DID feel like a baby at times. And yes.. he DID mention it to me. UGHHHHH!

My first job out of high school was an aluminum mechanic’s laborer. I remember the first day on the job. The picture above is almost EXACTLY the way the scaffolding laid out.. only up to the peak. When my boss told me to climb up and remove the molding, it became the scariest day of my life! I went on to LEARN how and to NOT be afraid of heights. But that was 46 years ago! Apparently I had UNLEARNED it, because the fear I was fighting to overcome was genuine!

When my friend told me he was painting, I offered to help. I looked forward to the challenge of the height, trusted him to have secured the scaffolding and KNEW it would hold me. When I was done, I was exhilarated for the experience. ‘The Fear of The Lord,’ is EXACTLY like that. It is not danger…but AWE! An opportunity for the Holy Spirit, the church and teacher to provide me intimate access to Holy God… and LIVE to TELL about it!

If I want wisdom and understanding, I must remember that it ONLY comes when MY head gets level with HIS feet! In humility, I must acknowledge that HE is God and I am not! And that, when I read His Word with the care it deserves…and APPLY it correctly to my life…I will have NOTHING to fear. TEASED about maybe… but NEVER afraid!

So when it comes to reaching God… how high are YOU?