October 7

At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. — Matt 11:25 BSB

No matter how much religious knowledge, worldly wisdom, or prudence a person may have, if they lack the life of God in their soul, they are missing true godly fear. They have no deep awe or reverence for the Lord; they have never seen their sins in the light of His presence; they have never trembled at the coming wrath; they have never bowed in humility before the all-seeing God who knows the secret thoughts of their heart.

All their knowledge, wisdom, and prudence leave them unchanged—still unconverted, still worldly, still “dead in trespasses and sins.” Their knowledge never goes beyond the surface; it never breaks through the hard shell of unbelief to reach the conscience, never produces any lasting effect, because their conscience has not been softened by the touch of God. Their wisdom floats in their mind but never penetrates their heart.

God hides the workings of spiritual fear from the “wise and prudent.” He does not reveal Himself to them; He does not shine His light into their hearts or awaken their conscience. He doesn’t remove the veil of unbelief from their carnal minds or show them Himself. He does not take them, like He did Moses, into the cleft of the rock to pass by in glory. He doesn’t deal with them as He did with Isaiah, showing him His glory in the temple. Nor does He reveal Himself to them as He did to Job, who responded by loathing himself in dust and ashes. Their knowledge of God remains external and intellectual, a mere mental exercise without any spiritual teaching or personal revelation of God’s presence, power, or majesty.

But the true believer, the “living babe in Zion,” has “the fear of the Lord” in their soul, which is “the beginning of wisdom.” This fear springs up in spiritual actions. As the Apostle says, they “serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear;” they do not approach Him with presumption. When they come into His presence, a holy dread sometimes falls on their spirit. They share the feelings of Isaiah when he said, “I am a man of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” They feel like Jacob, who said in fear, “How dreadful is this place!” They experience what Moses felt at the burning bush, removing his shoes because the ground was holy. Like the high priest entering the holy of holies on the Day of Atonement, they feel the weight of God’s presence.

The true believer has these experiences of godly fear, which those who are worldly or self-confident have never known. Even though the believer sometimes feels that they lack spiritual life, they still have that tenderness, awe, and reverence that the worldly-minded professor, no matter how confident in their doctrine, is completely unfamiliar with.