What do you fear most? If providence is the outworking of God’s rule, then our fear reveals whether we truly believe God is holy and righteous in what he appoints. For many of us, the truest answer is uncomfortable. We fear events more than we fear the Lord. We fear medical reports, financial uncertainty, hostile legislation, the opinions of men, or the possibility of suffering. Scripture lifts our eyes higher, and teaches us to put every fear in its proper place.

The Second London Baptist Confession speaks plainly about this reality. God’s providence is not vague or merely permissive. It is holy, deliberate, and wise. “God the good Creator of all things, in His infinite power and wisdom does uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures and things… by His most wise and holy providence.” (2LCF 5.1)

God’s holiness and righteousness in providence does not merely give us clarity, it issues a command. We are called to fear him.

First, we are to fear God as we observe providence in the world. Jesus himself points us to tragedies and disturbances, events that fill the news and seize the public imagination, and he gives us the correct interpretation. Not smug judgement upon others, not morbid fascination, but repentance and reverence. “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). Such providences are warnings. They remind us that God is holy, that life is brief, and that judgement is real. The aim is not panic, but godly fear.

Second, we are to fear God by examining our hearts in afflictive providences. Hard providences are not always direct chastisement for particular sins, yet the Scriptures do teach that the Lord sometimes humbles his people through adversity. Hezekiah’s life stands as a sobering example. God left him, “to test him and to know all that was in his heart” (2 Chron. 32:31). Affliction is often a spiritual scan. It reveals what lies beneath. In such moments, the call is not to bitterness but humility, not to accusation but repentance, not to self-pity but renewal. Providence becomes a tool in the hand of a holy Father, shaping us into the likeness of Christ.

Third, we are to fear God by putting every rival fear into perspective. Jesus speaks directly to this. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body… fear him” (Luke 12:4–5). The world is full of threats, real threats. Many Christians across the world face terrible persecution. We ourselves are increasingly anxious of hostility at home. Such fears are natural, yet they are not ultimate. Men can harm the body, but they cannot touch the soul. God alone is holy, righteous, and sovereign over eternal destinies. Therefore, the fear of God does not make us timid. It makes us steady. It does not shrink our lives. It anchors them. As the hymn says:

“O taste and see that he is good; experience will decide

how blest are they, and only they who in the LORD confide.

Fear him, you saints, and you will then have nothing else to fear;

make serving him your sole delight, your wants shall be his care.”

In all this, Christ himself is our pattern and our strength. Hebrews describes him as one who lived and prayed “with loud cries and tears,” yet did so in reverent fear (Heb. 5:7). The perfect man feared God, not providence. He submitted to the Father’s holy will, though it led him through suffering to the cross. His obedience secured our salvation and his Spirit now trains his people to walk the same path.

To fear God is not to be crushed, but cleansed. Not haunted, but humbled. The holiness and righteousness of God in providence teaches us not to direct our gaze upon the world, our afflictions, and the threats of men, but upon the Holy One himself.

So the call is simple and searching. Fear God and you will have nothing else to fear.