Awe

The Awe of God is the beginning of wisdom -- Psalm 111:10

I met a guy once who didn't like to use the word "awesome" casually. "Only God is awesome."

Awe -- an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like (from Dictionary.com)

Think about for a moment. What do you find truly awesome?

Consider the wonder of light. Pure energy moving at half a billion miles per hour. Reflecting, refracting--white light becomes a rainbow when seen through a rain drop. Color, vibrant color painting the world in beauty. The greens of the leaves and grass, the browns of earth and sand, the blues of the sky and ocean. God took one oscillating wave and weaved it into this wonderful tapestry of glory.

Consider your life for a moment. Who are you that God should take an interest in your life? Six thousand years of human history and you think God has to help you with your problems? Francis Chan described our place in the universe like being an extra in a movie for two fifths of a second. And we demand the Director's attention to help us with our small part. He is the King of the Universe! Who am I that I should approach Him? And yet He regards you as His child! He cares about you and wants to spend time with you. He even knows the number of hairs on your head (have you ever tried to count them?).

This is the beginning of wisdom. This is the beginning of life.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?  -- Psalm 8:3-4 

Return to "Days of Awe"

Worship

I've never really studied worship in much depth. I've heard a few teachings on it, but I never considered the topic important enough to study on my own. Now I'm finding that not only is it important, but it is central to life.

What is worship?

In our modern culture, worship is often associated with music and emotion. It's that thing you do before the pastor gets up to give the sermon. If that's your idea of worship, then it does seem easy to dismiss it as extra. But I think it goes much deeper than that.

I looked up the word "worship" in Scripture, and found that most of the time worship occurs at the Temple. At first, I couldn't see how this could help me understand worship. Israel offered sacrifices at the Temple--we can't offer sacrifices today. How do I worship without a sacrifice?

Take it back to the Hebrew though, and things become a bit clearer. The Hebrew word for sacrifice literally means to "draw near." The Temple was not built for sacrifices--the sacrifices were offered so that one could draw near to God at the Temple. Worship is drawing near to God.

How do we draw near to God? Well, if we look at the Temple again, I see four things: sacrifice, prayer, music, and awe. Sacrifice is pretty self-explanatory. The incense altar is closely tied to prayer and the daily prayers are recited at the times of the morning and evening offerings. Many of the Levites who served in the Temple served as singers and musicians. And awe--that's what happens when you see fire come down from heaven to consume your sacrifice.

Enough of the technical stuff (I love tying things to pictures and Hebrew words, but we mustn't lose sight of the forest for the trees). I've been learning lately how important it is to take some time just to worship God. This can be through music. I've made myself a playlist of songs that I can honestly sing with and that remind me who God is. It can be through prayer. Reciting the daily prayers from your heart can be an awesome form of worship. It can even be something as simple as taking a walk and standing in awe of God's glory. 

How do you worship? How do you draw near to our Creator?