Leading The Way - Devotional for January 11
January 11, 2026
Faith Enough to Fear the Lord
By Michael A. Youssef, Ph.D.
Read Psalm 128:1-6.
Throughout the Scriptures, God reveals that His design for the family is much more than a shield of protection for children. He created the Christian family to be a beachhead in the spiritual war, an elite force to retake areas of our culture lost to Satan and to bear witness to the Gospel for the Kingdom of God. Psalm 127 teaches us that children are a blessing from the Lord, “[l]ike arrows in the hands of a warrior” (v. 4). In Psalm 128, the theme expands: Not only are children arrows, but every member of the family is a sharp arrow for the Kingdom of God.
Psalm 128 begins with a simple but profound promise: “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him” (v. 1). When you raise up the next generation according to the commands of the Lord, “blessings and prosperity will be yours” (v. 2). Now, God isn’t limited in the blessings He can bestow. Our great God is infinite, so there is no limit to how many people He can bless or the ways He can dole out His favor. This kind of understanding will transform your prayer life—for yourself and the next generation.
The key to receiving God’s blessing is fear of Him—obedience to Him (v. 1). But fear of the Lord is not a constant terror of Him; rather, fearing God means we live with profound reverence for our Creator. When we rightly see the Lord as “the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6), we will genuinely desire to obey Him out of adoration and gratitude. The Christian life flows out of a healthy fear of the Lord, for eternal life is found in knowing Him (see John 17:3).
Once we have grasped these Truths—that fear of God yields blessings and that His blessings are infinite—then we can live out the kind of faith that will spur the next generation to seek God’s face.
Prayer: Lord, may we remember that Your blessings are infinite so that we become bold in our prayer for the next generation. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him” (Psalm 128:1).
Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon series Embracing Your Mission for the Future: WATCH NOW
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