Why Holy Fear Isn’t About Being Scared, But About Living Awake

There’s a kind of fear that makes you shrink back.
And then there’s the fear of the Lord, the kind that wakes you up.

Not because God is angry. Not because He is unpredictable. But because He’s holy, He’s close, and He’s worth more attention than we’ve been giving Him.

That’s what this “Holy Fear” series is all about. It’s not a scary fear. It’s a beautiful awe. A renewed reverence. A raising of the level of honor we carry toward God again. Scripture says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9). And if we want a year built right, a life built right, a home built right, we start with the foundation.

Palm City turns four years old in this message, and Pastor Brian gives us a clear picture from Psalm 65 of how to honor the past without living there, and how to move forward without rushing past what God is doing right now.

We honor the past, but we’re loyal to the future.

Watch the Sermon

Psalm 65 and the Kind of Church God Builds

Psalm 65 doesn’t read like a desperate prayer. It reads like a celebration.

It starts with this settled confidence: “Praise awaits You…” Not praise in case God shows up, but praise because He already has.

The psalm describes a God who answers prayer, forgives sin, steadies roaring seas, waters dry ground, and crowns the year with bounty. Even the valleys are singing.

Pastor Brian said it like this:

If we will become a church in awe of Him, He will make us a house marked by wonder.

We don’t chase wonder. We chase Him. He is wonderful. And wonder follows a church that lives awake to His presence.

The Big Idea: Awe Comes First

Most of us think awe is the reaction to a miracle.

But the message flipped that idea in the best way:

Awe is not the reaction to wonder, it’s the prerequisite.

In other words, we don’t manufacture God’s presence. We don’t chase experiences. We posture our hearts toward Him, and what He wants to do finds room.

That’s why Pastor Brian reminded us of Isaiah 57: God dwells in a high and holy place, and He also dwells with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit. God is attracted to humility. Not performance. Not polish. Posture.

Three Postures That Create a House Marked by Wonder

1) Awe Creates Atmosphere

Atmosphere matters. Not hype. Not striving. Not pressure. But reverence.

A settled heart that says, “Praise awaits You.” A life that honors vows, not shallow commitments. A church that refuses “just another Sunday.”

Pastor Brian named what kills awe:

• Pride

• Control

• Familiarity

Familiarity is sneaky. It turns sacred things into normal things. And when we treat it as normal, we stop treating it as holy.

So here’s the question:
Have you gotten used to God?

Not in a rebellious way. In a casual way.

If so, today can be a reset. Not into rigidity, but into honor.

2) Awe Produces Expectancy

Expectancy is not pretending. It’s trusting God’s nature.

Psalm 65 says God answers with “awesome and righteous deeds.” When you see Him that way, expectation rises. And Pastor Brian said something that stays with you:

Expectation determines experience.

But then he went straight to what steals expectancy: disappointment.

When you believed for healing and it didn’t happen.
When you believed for the marriage and it still ended.
When life stung you and cynicism moved in.

He called cynicism what it often is: wounded belief.

Then Pastor Brian shared his own story, losing his dad after praying and believing. He said something tender and strong:

Awe does not deny hurt. Awe just refuses to live in the disappointment of it.

That is such a needed word. Your pain is real. Your questions are real. But pain doesn’t get to rewrite God’s nature.

So we choose expectancy over cynicism. Not because life is easy, but because God is faithful.

3) Awe Leads to Abundance

Psalm 65 ends with overflow language: watered ground, crowned year, paths dripping, valleys singing. And Pastor Brian made this important clarification:

This is not prosperity language. This is presence language.

Because real abundance is not a perfect life. It’s a life filled with God.

And then a line that hits anyone walking through a hard season:

Fruit doesn’t grow on mountains. Fruit grows in valleys.

God can turn a valley into a song. He can take what hurt you and grow something in you that outlasts you and blesses others.

Practical Ways to Live in Holy Fear This Week

Here are a few simple “step toward honor” practices from the heart of this message:

1. Show up with awe before you see anything.
   Don’t wait for God to prove Himself in the room. Come ready with praise.

2. Guard against casual spirituality.
   If you feel numb, don’t shame yourself. Just wake up again. Ask the Holy Spirit to restore wonder.

3. Choose expectancy, especially if you’ve been disappointed.
   Say it out loud: “God can, and God will.” Then let Him define the timeline.

4. Honor what God is doing in the valleys.
   Ask: “What fruit are You growing in this season?” You may not see it yet, but it is forming.

5. Protect the culture of awe together.
   Reach out to people when they drift. We need each other.

A Declaration for Our Church and Our City

Pastor Brian led Palm City in a declaration that I want to echo here:

We are Palm City Church, a house marked by wonder.
A house of holy fear.
A house of God’s presence.
A house where prayer is answered.
A house where dry ground is watered.
A house where faith bears lasting fruit.
May this house never lose its wonder, in Jesus’ name.

If you’re not sure what you believe yet, you’re welcome here. If you’re tired, wounded, or skeptical, you’re welcome here too. There is a God who is closer than you thought, and greater than you imagined.

And if you want to take a next step, start simple: talk to Him. Ask Him to restore wonder in you.

We’ll be here, chasing Jesus together.