One evening last summer, I was outside looking up at the clear night sky.
Gazing at the seemingly endless star filled sky, I was in awe of God's creation.
According to WorldAtlas, there are estimated "10 billion billion" stars in the sky.
According to Psalm 147, God determined the number of stars and calls each of them by name!
We should pause for just a moment in awe of the fact, God placed billions of stars in the sky and calls each star by name!
About 136 years ago on a cloudy afternoon, Carl Boberg while walking home was caught in a severe thunderstorm. Following the violent crashing thunder and bolts of lightning, Carl was so moved by the severity of the storm, he fell on his knees in awe of God's power...and wrote the words to the song "How Great Thou Art."
The first verse of this song clearly reflects Carl's awe of God's creation and power:
"Oh Lord, my God
When I, in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed."
Although this song was performed by many artists over the years, possibly the most memorable performance was by Elvis Presley during his "farewell tour" in 1977, just weeks before his death.
While experiences and songs remind us to be in awe of God, these verses put into perspective "How Great Thou Art" on a personal level.
Psalm 139
1 You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.
-- No one knows us more than God, our Creator.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
-- God supernaturally searches and knows us; He knows everything about us...literally everything.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
-- God is omnipresent, He is present everywhere simultaneously.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.
-- He knows every word we say...before we say it!
A.W. Tozer, a pastor and author, describes God's omnipresence with these words: "God dwells in His creation and is everywhere indivisibly present in all His works. He is unequalled above all His works even while He is ingrained within them."
The world we live in today distracts our attention away from God and persuades us to focus on just about everything else. Satan is the source of our distractions. His goal is to divert our attention away from God.
C.S. Lewis described Satan this way, "Readers are advised to remember the devil is a liar."
Satan provides for us an attractive trap. He convinces us to focus on ourselves, self-importance, self-esteem, loving of self....and the list goes on. His trap, replace the awe of God with self-important awe of us!
Today, if our relationship with God our Father is not what it should or could be, the missing link could be a simple three letter word, "awe."
This is an encouragement to start on the path of making "awe" foundational in our relationship with God.
How can you get started being in awe of God?
This is a great starting point, one evening this summer, go outside and look up at the clear night sky.
According to WorldAtlas, there are estimated "10 billion billion" stars in the sky. According to Psalm 147, God determined the number of stars and calls each of them by name!
May "awe" no longer be the missing link in your relationship with God, our Father in Heaven.
Dennis R. Hixson of Fayetteville is a husband, father, teacher, business leader, author and mentor. Currently, Dennis teaches an adult Bible class at Prairie Grove Christian Church and Practical Biblical Application class at the Fayetteville Salvation Army, Drug and Alcohol Recovery Program. Send comments and questions to [email protected].