“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”
Psalm 111:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
Perhaps in your past experience you have known God as one to be feared — in a way that kept Him at a distance rather than the intimate relationship He desires — when He offers the invitation to draw near to His throne with a boldness and confidence — that we might find mercy and grace in the time of our need (Hebrews 4:16).
There is a balance in our understanding of our Heavenly Father — from the extreme of a type of doting grandfather — to one of a vengeful God who is ever ready to punish us for every minute mistake. Our Father does chasten us, even as our earthly fathers — but only to teach us so that we might experience the peaceable fruit of righteousness — once we have received His chastening and profited from it (Hebrews 12:5-13).
From the book Bites of Bread by Walter Brent