Why we should be in awe of God
(last updated: 20th September 2023)

 

Our awesome God

A good place to start would be to consider a typical dictionary definition of awesome:

'Extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration and respect, apprehension, or fear.'

So let us focus on these attributes one by one. There are many websites that talk about being in awe of God, and what the term means, but few if any get down to the practicalities of why we should be in awe of Him:

Impressive:
We tend to take what we see around us in nature for granted and as a result are inclined to underestimate its value and significance. People today can be so occupied with the mundane side of life that they end up neglecting to pay sufficient heed to the beauty of the natural World in which they live. Issues such as earning a living, maintaining the home, caring for the family, keeping up with the Joneses, take precedence and little time is left for studying, or even observing the natural World around them upon which they rely for their survival (food, air, water, health, etc). We cannot be impressed by what God has provided if we do not allocate sufficient time to considering its beauty and grandeur, with the result that He tends to be relegated to the back of our minds. So how can this be rectified, what can we do to free up time for focussing on the important, God given, things of life.
Less time on the mobile phone, especially for youngsters who would be far happier and healthier engaging in sporting activities!
Less time watching the television.
Less time in pubs, cinemas, etc.
Less time in the car, using Shanks's pony where ever possible.
More time in the garden or walks in the countryside enjoying nature, where the still small voice of God may be heard. He is unlikely to shout down a mobile phone at us or suddenly appear in person on the television. You are much more likely to hear rhetoric from people such as astronaut Tim Peake speaking to us on TV as if evolution and long ages was a well established fact when both concepts are purely hypothetical. In fairness to him he doesn't rule out the possibility that there is an intelligent mind behind the design of the Universe. We never hear Church Leaders raise the subject of life's origin on TV in support of the Bible's teaching on Creation. In order to avoid courting controversy no serious attempt is ever made to open the eyes of the public to the truly impressive nature of God the Creator.

Daunting:
God wishes all of us to enter into a meaningful relationship with Him. However, He has never been known to exert pressure on anyone to engage with Him at any level. Taking tentative steps may seem on the surface to be daunting but in reality there is nothing to fear. He will encourage, and never obstruct.

Inspiring admiration and respect:
When one considers the majesty and extent of God's provision one cannot fail to be in awe of Him. His accomplishments far surpass anything man has achieved, or will ever achieve in the future. Most people are unable to appreciate what He has achieved at a technical level as they do not have sufficient grounding in science. The fact that Churches fail to pass on the message of Creation is a further stumbling block. People who are led to believe in evolution can no longer be in awe of Him. People in past ages were in awe of Him because they had no reason to doubt His authority and power as they had not been led astray by atheist leaning scientists.

Instilling apprehension or even fear:
Largely answered under 'daunting'. Fear and anxiety may well come about through not wishing to engage with Him and the unknown consequences of such rejection.

Psalm 33:8. "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him."
Psalm 66:3. "Say to God, 'How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.'"
Exodus 15:11. "Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you-majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? ...".
Psalm 95:4. "In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him."
These verses acknowledge God's awe-inspiring deeds and unmatched power, and calls for fear and reverance of Him to encompass the entire earth and all its inhabitants.

God created us via Adam and Eve. Surely this act alone makes it somewhat incumbent on us to be in great awe of Him.

 

Purpose of Life

People everywhere need to believe they were designed for a purpose, that they are not just here today and gone tomorrow, ultimatly as valueless as a grain of sand on a seashore. This feeling of worthlessness that stems from the outdated Theory of Evolution, however it is dressed up, is understandably fueling many of the problems that are prevalent in society today, including a steep rise in suicides, and increasing opioid use leading to dependency. America is apparently facing an unprecedented suicide epidemic.
Arguably the only way, certainly the best way, to combat this decline is to convince people that we have a loving Creator God who is responsible for our very existence and therefore cares about us, and the planet on which we live. Jesus sacrifice on the cross is proof that God loves us.