Living in Awe
Canola Field, Presque Isle, Maine
…‘Let us live in awe of the Lord our God,
for he gives us rain each spring and fall,
assuring us of a harvest when the time is right.’Jeremiah 5:24
With advanced farming methods, techniques, and technologies, we have figured out ways to assist God with crop production. So, it is easy to miss the wonder–the underlying miracle of life lying within the tiniest seed pushing it to fruit.
Similarly, we educate the human mind, glamorize the human body, and enjoy the pleasantries of materialism, but if we lack faith and neglect our souls, we miss the wonder and meaning of life and do not flourish as the intended images of God’s character.
By using an agricultural metaphor, Christ addresed how this kind of robust faith develops: “ I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.
Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.” (John 12:24-25 (NLT2)
Faith means a readiness to submit ones soul to God and is evidenced by humility, repentance, and selflessness. It entails a willingness to live under the rule of God rather than the rule of self and the ways of the world. It requires a belief in, or acceptance of, and submission to, the grace and authority of God and to the truth that we are morally broken, imperfect people who need forgiveness which holy God has lovingly and graciously provided through the amazing, redemptive, restorative work of the resurrected Christ, who made the awful payment for our sinfulness on the cross.
That kind of love should be awe inspiring enough. However, the Psalmist broadens the wonder by expressing the persistent biblical theme that God holds all of life in His hand! He is at the beginning and at the end!
“Let the whole world (reverence) the LORD, and let everyone stand in awe of him. For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.
“We put our hope in the LORD. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in you alone.” (Psalm 33: 8-9, 20-22 (NLT2)
And Jude similarly expressed this wonder for God as he ended his letter to early believers: “to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 1:25)
Creation draws our minds to God, who helps us blossom with the beauty of his character when we choose Him. That surely meets the requirements of awesomeness!