Why Stand in Awe?

“Mama, look!” came the deep voice from the other room. I could hear the wonder in his voice, just as if he were six years old.

As I crossed the living room, I followed where his eyes were fixed and was met by the most stunning pink sunset. I was instantly captivated. The colors were vibrant enough even that the living room seemed to be flooded in pink hues. I was in awe.

Awe is defined as reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.

If awe is so easily evoked in our human hearts for that which is made, created and thought up in the mind of the Creator, how much more ought we stand in awe of the One who did it all?

If awe is at the intersection of respect, fear and wonder, then it stands to reason that if we lack awe we lack knowledge of the truth. The truth will drive us right to this junction.

So why should we respect this Creator? 1 Peter 2:18 commands servants to respect their masters, and not only those who are good and gentle but also the unjust. It is a respect for the position they hold, not just the actions they carry out. As believers and followers of Christ, how much more are we to respect God?

He is The Master. We are His servants, bondservants. He is the most good, and gentle. He is the farthest from unjust. All the more ought we live respecting The Master.

Why should we fear this Creator? If He is good and gentle, why should we fear Him then? In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus spoke directly to this when He was addressing His followers fearing their persecutors. “Have no fear of them…do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:26, 28)

We let our fears of people, viruses, government dictate our lives and we fail to fear the One who can cast our body and soul into hell. We fail to submit to God, surrender to His will and follow His ways. Yet He alone can destroy not only this temporal body but cast these deserving souls into hell. Fear God above all else.

Why should we be in wonder of this Creator then, this One with the power to cast us off? Jesus gave us plenty of reason to wonder as He walked the earth. He told his doubters, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” (John 4:48) Then He performed the greatest wonder in all of history.

“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.” (Luke 24:1-2)

Jesus dying in our place and raising from the dead to defeat death and demonstrate the satisfied wrath of God on behalf of all who would place faith in Him, is the wonder of all wonders. He offers that great grace to every person willing to surrender to Him.

If that doesn’t inspire awe, even greater than a colorful sunset, I don’t know what does.

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Need more reasons to be in awe of the One True God? No. Yet He gave us more by revealing His names for us to know Him more intimately. Drop your email below to get into His Word for yourself and cultivate intimacy with Jesus.