To benefit from fearing God seems a contradiction in terms, for fear is often perceived negatively. In the Bible, however, fearing God (showing reverence and awe towards God) is seen as something positive which can be extremely beneficial to us.

We can fear God in a number of different ways:
(1) through praise (Ps 22:22-23)
(2) through our service (Ps 2:11)
(3) in obedience (Eccl 12:13)
(4) by avoiding evil (Prov 16:6) – again fear and evil are often perceived as negatives, but don’t forget that in maths, two negatives can make a positive, and avoiding evil through the fear of God has to be a positive thing!

Fearing God brings different benefits:
(1) wisdom (Ps 111:10 tells us that ‘the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and all who follow His precepts have a good understanding.’)
(2) long life (Prov 10:27 tells us that the fear of the Lord adds length to our lives!)
(3) love (Ps 103:11 tells us that the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him)
(4) salvation (Ps 85:9 tells us that the Lord’s salvation is near those who fear Him)
(5) protection (Ps 60:4 tells us that for those who fear God, He has raised an unfurled banner against the bow.)
(6) blessing (Ps 115:13 promises that God will bless those who fear Him)
(7) we will lack nothing (Ps 34:9). So often, natural fear protects us from danger and reveals to us that we are lacking in some way (perhaps lacking in strength or courage or boldness, for example). When we fear God, our inadequacies are met by His total sufficiency.