O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. Psalm 8:1 NLT
Paul David Tripp, author and pastor, is one of those who inspires and challenges me every time I have contact with his thoughts. He shared a discovery we all need to make: “I came to see that I was wired for awe, that awe of something sits at the bottom of everything I say and do. But I wasn’t just wired for awe. I was wired for awe of God. No other awe satisfies the soul. No other awe can give my heart the peace, rest, and security that it seeks. I came to see that I needed to trace awe of God down to the most mundane of human decisions and activities.”
All humans are made for awe, specifically awe of God. Our souls feel the tug when we are suddenly breathless at the sight of a glorious sunrise and realize no human had a part in making that happen. When a child gets his first glimpse of the ocean, pounding waves and inexplicably moving water as far as his eyes can see, he is filled with half joy and half fear – it is completely captivating yet so untouchable. That’s awe. The mountains that rise out of nowhere, waterfalls that seem to have an unending supply but no obvious source, the dark skies at night with countless stars strewn like jewels on yards of velvet. All these suddenly show our smallness and we are overwhelmed with the majesty of what we have seen.
That feeling of awe and wonder is a gift from God, intended to draw us to Him. This experience will produce tears, give us “chills” or “goosebumps,” cause a “full heart” or a tightening in the chest. But God has designed and wired us for awe with far greater purpose. Awe is designed to produce the humility that takes our eyes off ourselves and directs us to the Source of it all, our Creator God. We spend so much energy focused on ourselves, our problems, and our issues. We are easily trapped in the routine and rush of “making it” that we spend little time connecting with the God of Wonders who can do it all and wants to partner with us.
No matter what success we enjoy here, no matter how many sights we see or how much wonder we experience, nothing will fill us except that for which we were created – a personal relationship with the God who shaped us to be awe-struck by His great love.
- "You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You (St. Augustine of Hippo). Spend at least 15 minutes in nature this week and consider that the God who created all of this knows and loves you best. Let it fill you with wonder and awe, taking you to His heart.