”By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.”
-Psalm 65:5-8
I stand in AWE of You.
These are the words that we sing as we praise Him in our worship. Many of us don’t truly grasp the meaning of that statement. Our God is THE LIVING GOD. He is the One true God, the Creator of this earth and all the heavens, the only God who has conquered death, and who lives forever. He is awesome. AWE-SOME.
Do I need to say it again? I will:
HE IS AWESOME.
The word “awesome” has always been a favorite of mine, and I have looked at it as an inspirational word. It strikes a feeling of motivation and willingness for me, and I love that the literal definition is that awesome means “inspiring awe.” Awe is so much more than an inspiration; it is a feeling of deep, reverential respect and admiration. This can sometimes come with feelings of fear, especially of the captivating wonders around us or the unknowns that lie ahead of us.
As I was reading this morning I contemplated the fear of God, and that so often we use the phrase to strike fear into a situation. Someone will say they need to “put the fear of God” into someone with a stern talking to or a threat with consequence, or think that having the fear of God is to be afraid of what He is capable of. But this is not true. The fear of God is not horrifying or destructive. It is not striking fear in such a way that we need to run far and wide to escape the hurt. With God, fear is exactly the opposite, and His fear is something that pulls us closer and draws us in.
The reality is that there is a huge difference between the fear of man and the fear of God. When we look at the fear of man, we see something unpleasant, dangerous, painful, uncomfortable, or threatening. The fear of man is to be afraid or terrified in a hurtful way. The world is a dark and ugly pace, and this worldly fear pushes us further away from the light of God’s love and goodness.
When we look at the fear of God, however, this is a deeper and more intimate fear, and one that resonates through our entire being in a comforting and enticing way. It is reverent and fierce, passionate and hopeful, full of light and love. God is love.
We can see in the book of Hebrews, it says:
”So we can confidently say,
‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear;
what can man do to me?’”
Hebrews 13:6
What can man do to me? That is the question of our time. The world is full of evil, and there are terrible and horrifying things happening around us. In our daily routines and activities, we have good days and bad days, and times when we truly feel- straight down to our core- that everything is falling apart and we are overwhelmed and at our wit’s end. When we look at these things without the fear of God in our life, we are afraid and the worry or anxiety of our situation will get the best of us. We must remember that it all comes down to one word: love.
God is love, and God is perfect. Perfect love DRIVES OUT FEAR… the fear of man.
”There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.
For fear has to do with punishment,
and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
1 John 4:18
Love is a manifestation of growth in the Lord.
Relationship, wisdom, reverence, worship, truth. Godly wisdom and discernment is necessary to drive out worldly fear- the fear of man. As we grow in His wisdom, the fears of this world will not be able to stand against the awesome God we are fearing- the God who’s name is so powerful He commands respect and recognition by even the darkest of shadows.
So how can we live without fear, the fear of man? How can we grow in godly wisdom, and see the fear of God in its fullness? We must first acknowledge that our God is an awesome God, and we must stand in awe, fully recognizing that He alone is the Creator of all things and we are surrounded by His majesty. We must see that we are blessed with the privilege to care for the earth and all creation, and His love must be the center of it all. To feel the love of God, we must see that He has always been right here in the midst of it all, and the evidence of His life and truth is in everything. To know Him, is to love Him, and to praise His name above all things.
Our God is an awesome God, and we stand in awe of Him.
Additional Notes:
*All scripture quoted in this article is from the ESV (English Standard Version) of the Holy Bible.
- Isaiah 33:6 – …“and he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the lord is Zion’s treasure.”
- Habakkuk 1:5 – “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.”
- Ecclesiastes 12:13 – “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”
