Thursday, December 11 Close friendship with Jehovah belongs to those who fear him.​—Ps. 25:14.

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Thursday, December 11

Close friendship with Jehovah belongs to those who fear him.—Ps. 25:14.

 

You probably would not think of fear as an important quality for a good friendship. However, those who want to have a close friendship with Jehovah must “fear him.” No matter how long we have been serving Jehovah, all of us need to maintain a healthy fear of him. But what does it mean to fear God? A person who has a proper fear of God loves Him and does not want to do anything that would damage his relationship with Him. Jesus had such “godly fear.” (Heb. 5:7) He did not feel a morbid dread of Jehovah. (Isa. 11:2, 3) Instead, he felt a deep love for him and wanted to obey him. (John 14:21, 31) Like Jesus, we feel deep respect and awe for Jehovah because He is loving, wise, just, and powerful. We also know that Jehovah loves us and is affected by how we respond to his guidance. We can either make Jehovah feel pain or make his heart rejoice.—Ps. 78:41; Prov. 27:11. w23.06 14 ¶1-2; 15 ¶5

 

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There is something profoundly tender about the thought that Jehovah chooses closeness, yet reserves it for those who hold Him in rightful awe. That balance—love strong enough to draw near, reverence deep enough to stay humble—keeps a friendship with Him from becoming casual or careless. We “fear” Him, not with dread, but with reverence for His awesomeness, knowing that the One who invites us near also deserves our deepest respect. And that realization changes everything.

 

When we remember that the Sovereign of the universe feels our loyalty, our obedience, even our restraint, our relationship shifts from duty to devotion. We begin to see our daily decisions as quiet messages sent upward—either bringing grief to His heart or making it rejoice. Those aren’t small stakes. They are the contours of real friendship with the One whose wisdom shapes our safety and whose affection shapes our hope.

 

So the question that lingers is simple and searching: What kind of friend will I be to Jehovah today? The answer is written less in dramatic gestures and more in the quiet choices that say, “I love You too.”