So all the people stood in awe of the LORD. 1 Samuel 12:18
Awe, noun. A feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder. Fear mingled with admiration or reverence. Reverential fear.
Stand in awe and sin not. Psalm 4:4
Synonyms of awe: wonder, wonderment, amazement, astonishment, admiration, reverence.
I don’t know about you, but it is hard to stand in awe when all around things are chaotic, disturbing, fear-inducing, or terrifying. So many of our enemy’s bells and whistles clanging, flashing and gonging, that my eyes easily drift. And where my eyes go, my heart seems to rapidly follow without giving a second thought. Why is that?
I know in my heart that I NEED to stand in awe of God – looking at the night sky causes me to stand in amazement. When I consider the heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and stars which You have set in place (Psalm 8:3), I cannot help but praise God. But, last time I checked that is only half of the day that I can see those stars and moon. It’s the daytime that I should stand in awe of God too. Oh, here are the birds singing, the flowers giving off their scent, the blue, blue sky, the clouds sweeping past in the sky as they chase on another, the first cry of a newborn, the hug of a toddler, the giggles of a child, the embrace of a loved one. These cause us to stand in awe of God.
So why do I NOT stand in awe very often? What exactly is tripping me up? It’s as if I am tripping all over myself trying to get through a day, rather than living victoriously each moment I draw breath.
Where is the disconnect?
WALK BY FAITH
For me, once I take my eyes of Jesus and put them on myself, I lose. I no longer trust, believe, or walk in faith – I need to walk by faith and not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7). When I see the NO WAY OUT sign, I panic. Instead of looking for the EXIT (Pray, trust, believe) sign, I freeze.
Remember freeze tag on the playground? The it person would touch you and you had to freeze where you were. Or, in elementary school when we students heard the bell at recess we had to freeze where we were until the teacher told us to move to our classes. Why? I'm not sure, but I think this has set me up to play freeze tag more often than I should. A bell goes off, then – FREEZE. Or, I get tagged by someone with an unkind word – FREEZE.
How much life have I been missing because I have been frozen?
Yes, there are times I need to STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN. There is danger – running out in front of a moving car is not wise. But, I think I have allowed myself to play this freeze game far too long.
God wants us to stand in awe of Him. He wants me to gaze at Creation all around me – day or night. He wants me to trust Him in my circumstances and be in awe of His answers and movements. EVEN when I do not see the healing, have the answer or know the reason. Yes, there’s the rub.
Paul said that he learned to be content in whatever circumstance he was in (Philippians 4:11). The context of this verse is financial. Poor, rich, with or without. Paul learned to be content. I like to carry this very same concept to my every day life. Am I content with 20-days-shy-of-a-year of being in my room with overly-long-in-recovering broken feet? (Whew, what a sentence!)
MARATHON RUNNER
The key to a satisfied and contented life is to be in awe of God. No matter the circumstances. Once I look in the lane next to mine in this marathon, I lose focus and speed; all the training that I did for this race is out. When I compare my progress to another’s or when I look at my feet as I run or walk, my eyes are NOT fixed on the finish line, the race up ahead, the obstacles, or on anything but ME.
Correct me if I’m wrong, as I've not run anywhere lately, but running a marathon is about keeping the end in sight. Maybe not visibly, but mentally. One has trained, prepared, got the gear, and shown up. Running the race is WHY a runner is there.
I want to run this race with endurance, in awe of God and with a thankful heart. I believe that God is for me, fights my battles and is worthy of my praise and worship. How about you?
PRAYER
O, LORD. You are worthy of my AWE. I am awestruck by who You are. And I am awestruck by what You do. Forgive me please for letting the bells and whistles of my enemy to draw my attention away from You and what You are doing all around me. Help me Holy Spirit to keep my eyes on You, my PRIZE. AMEN