Wonder and Awe
Hello fellow 1st years. I hope you are settling into your summer routine, whatever it may be, but first I have a confession... I let my surroundings dictate what I think about sometimes. Not in a bad way though, what I am saying is that I am in Destin, FL (with no oil spilling up on the beach) with my family. I am actually writing this overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, filled with wonder and awe over God’s creation, and it has me thinking. What is the purpose of wonder and awe in the Christian life? In the beginning of Acts the apostles are doing miraculous signs and the kingdom is advancing and it says in Ch. 3:43 “43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.” So what role should wonder and awe have in our daily life: is it something we need to seek to have, something that will come naturally as we pursue God, something that we should repent if we don’t have. What is its purpose, what is its function in our life? Thoughts…
daniel
posted by Daniel Simmons at
10:22 AM
10 Comments:
Wonder and awe has always been a way that Christ has shown me he is God. It humbles me and reveals to me that there is more than just the daily routines, struggles, and joys of life. Especially when I look at God's creation I'm amazed by the creative power and though behind it all. The more I pursue God, His wonder and awe comes naturally to me. I'm like a kid again when I am in awe of the things he has done both in creation and in my life. Ultimately it reminds me to be a kid and know to have joy in Jesus.
Newton
May 18, 2010 at 1:06 PM
i feel like wonder and awe is god's way of reminding us that he's in control and that we don't have it all figured out [as i so often feel]. it's a little wrench in our day that makes us stop and admire the lord's beauty.
i don't feel like we need to seek awe and wonder. i feel like there's a certain connotation attached to both words that indicate surprise. i love that the lord slowly reveals little surprises and secrets to me.
being in awe and wonder of the lord's creation and how he makes everything, even the little things that seemed insignificant at the time, work together in such beautiful way...that to me reminds me that i don't have it all figured out and that the lord is wise and has a wonderful, simple yet complex plan for me that he's revealing little bits of day by day.
May 19, 2010 at 5:54 AM
This question really confuses me. Mostly because I don't understand wonder and awe from anyone's perspective but my own sometimes. I just can't comprehend how someone cannot get as much joy out of a paper napkin with floral print as I can. Then again, puppies and kittens, cute, but not my forte. I guess the Lord surprises us and bewilders us, mystifies us, in individual ways, revealing Himself in pieces easier to chew and swallow at the moment. When our teeth get stronger, and/or our stomachs bigger, then he gives us larger and larger chunks of awesomeness. Maybe. But still I might be confused.
May 20, 2010 at 3:55 PM
Wonder and awe....awesome things to think about. As far as wonders go, Jesus tells us that signs and wonders will follow those who believe and that we will be able to do greater things than He did and I totally believe this. My heart for all of us year is that we will become this kind of people: people who signs and wonders constantly follow because we really do believe. I can't even imagine what doing greater things than Jesus looks like but it's exciting to think about. I feel like being in awe of the Lord is something that I have to work on;I'm not constantly thinking of the things He makes or the things He does that put me in a state of awe but I do find that if I spend more time with Him, I find myself asking Him to show me where He blesses me and He did today. My roommate bought me a juice from the gas station and extra groceries and they were giving away free taffy at Kroger and I love candy. It was a really good day.
May 22, 2010 at 11:24 PM
Now I just going to preface this by saying read this all the way through before freaking out. I also want to add I don’t have all the answers and I honestly don’t know enough about the purpose of awe in the Christian life. But I do know how awe is defined in scripture. Now excuse my geekiness but I have a thing for etymology.
Awe comes from the word used for "fright, to be afraid of." In scripture, the greek word used for awe also means to fear. But this kind of fear is defined in the greek as one of "reverence" (1 Pet 2:17). This definition of awe as reverential fear is found in Heb 12:28-29 "28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29for our 'God is a consuming fire.'" This same kind of reverential fear filled the disciples after Jesus calmed the storm (Mark 4:41).
Im not going to lie, I am not a hundred percent comfortable with this definition of awe. Particularly when it says "for God is a consuming fire." I dont want to associate fear with God. I know in 1 John it says perfect loves casts out fear because fear has to do with punishment. I know this awe/fear is different from the kind of fear John is talking about (the greek words are completely different) but I dont know what it looks like in practicality. All I know is this reverential fear "is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov 9:10).
I am going to take a guess here and say if you are in awe of God then you will not have fear of other things. For example, the disciples were afraid of the storm and Jesus asks them (and I think he was serious) why they were afraid of the storm (it seems kind of obvious to me why they were afraid, but I think Jesus was trying to hint at something). And the story ends with them not being afraid of the storm but in awe/fear of him. So maybe when we have fear of the Lord we do not have fear of other things, such as life circumstances? I don’t know. Im kind of shooting in the dark here.
May 25, 2010 at 11:20 AM
I think we are made
for glory,
for beauty,
for the Kingdom,
and the 'awe and wonder' of God speaks of our heavenly home, stirring our spirit and confirming with His,
'Yes! This is what I'm made for!'
It is the sweet delight and mystery of knowing God, the eternal life we are
now living and will continue to live....
In the mundane and normal He loves opening our eyes to see Himself, reminding us that His reality is the real reality.
May 25, 2010 at 3:45 PM
Hmmm, I have always appreciated the easily acknowledgable greatness that the Lord displays in grand scenes of nature as we go on retreats and such - I think that helps unify everyone across the world in acknowleging His glory. But then I'm always hit, along with most, with taking that moment of recognition into the reality of day to day life...seemingly the mundane. I feel like these grand scenes we often identify with are reminders that there are "retreats" we can take throughout our day in our normal schedule. These "retreats" are when we yield ourselves/schedule in acknowlging His presence/through prayer. As a result, I think the Lord chooses to "wow" us as we continually persue Him in these "retreats" - moment to moment in our normal routine. In addition, I think the Lord chooses to "wow" us in our own personal way so that it resonates even more so with ourselves. Personally, the Lord shows me His awesomeness in the power of his timing. The more I am obedient from listening, the more I realize how much control He has. When I've tested this, He has shown me just how precise He can be. Usually this involves my interactions with other people around me. Because each of us individually are so complex and that He is then remarkably able to somehow fit things together just blows me away time and time again. Maybe I could explain it this way: With a group of Christians, myself being one person in that group I am able to recognize multiple aspects in just my life alone that God is a part of that is so profound. And then when I see this happening in it's own unique way in someone else's life in that group, I step back and see how great He is. Hopefully that sort of makes sense, I could go on....
Anyways, I think we are called to just respond to God obediently each day and as a result he will show us individually, on a deeper level, more of His greatness. In respect to that, I love learning the ways the Lord does just that - how He reveals and relates Himself to other people uniquely like He does with me. Again it just perpetuates this thought on a bigger scale becuase it involves not just myself, but other people. He is able to identify with people so specifically that when you catch a glimpse of it by looking at people around you, you realize that He truly is the ultimate creator and truly knows us individually by name. We truly are each masterpieces that when we stop to appreciate eachother - His creation, it'll make you stand back, take a minute, reflect, and smile. That is my "retreat" - acknowleging his greatness through eachother, through His masterpieces.
May 25, 2010 at 6:48 PM
I find that "awe" stretches beyond just one meaning in my life. It begins to encompass many meanings, each pertaining to my situation.
For example, when I lived in Italy, last summer, I was in awe and wonder every single day. I didn't have to ask the Lord for it. It was a time full of mouth-agape-oh-my-God-you-are-so-cool moments. Consequently, I was yearning to BE STILL.... and KNOW that He was God. Because the reasons were right in front of me. I think that at times He will show us himself in things in which He knows that we will find characteristics of Him... in order to silence ourselves, our minds, our own words and thoughts. And just reflect. I find it so so very refreshing.
There have also been times when the Lord uses awe in my life as jumper cables. He wants to radically move me in such a way that I am immediately drawn to do whatever He wants me to , i.e. pray, talk to a person, serve someone... I think of the verse that Daniel used earlier..."Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles"
So, when I think about my first example, I think that awe and wonders will be gifted to us by a God who longs to love on and amaze us. When I think about the second one, and that verse in particular, I find myself asking God to amaze me and I seek to be in a place where I will not be blind to his majesty and wonders.
May 26, 2010 at 11:40 AM
Wonder and awe, God can rock our socks off no matter what place we're at- whether we're an atheist or John Crowder. However, those who pursue the Lord discover more and more of His wonder and awe in moments every day as they go deeper in Him, in more ways than just one. For me, it reminds me of how legit God is, and how much He loves us. How creative and fun He is. How adventurous He is. How life is good and glorious. For me, He first captivated me through His beauty in the mountains many years ago. But many years later, I finally told Him I'd live my life for Him, and since then there are things daily that give me wonder and awe, and if not daily, then I'm not seeking Him hard enough, though His grace is sufficient...
May 27, 2010 at 9:56 AM
So just recently (over the past few months) my whole view on Christianity has been somewhat altered from me being the center to God and His glory being the center. After a very powerful sermon and some seeking of my own, it was shown to me that EVERYTHING the Lord does is for his glory, including what was done on the cross. I realized that yes, the Lord loves me passionatley and intimatley, but bringing Himself glory comes before me and my needs. Anyway, that realization has caused me to look at everything that I do in life and that happens to me in a completely different light. The ultimate goal and aspiration that my life has is to bring Him glory, to give Him only what He deserves. I think wonder and awe should be an everyday response from believers, because of the grandness of the God we serve, and because it causes us to bring Him the glory and honor He deserves. I don't think this comes natural to us, because it seems that something needs to meet a certain standard to inspire wonder and awe in us, but the truth is that something already happened on the cross. This is something that I feel like I struggle daily with.
May 31, 2010 at 11:43 PM
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