Have You Misplaced Your Awe?

Let all the earth fear the LORD;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
Psa 33:8,9

We stand and watch the power of the ocean waves.... the glories of a sunset sky.... the wonders of mountain grandeur..... the intricate details of a flower, the tiny perfection of a hummingbird and our hearts are lifted up in awe to the Creator who designed and fashioned it all !
We think of His omnipresence, His omnipotence, His omniscience.... and are moved with the powerful emotion of awe.

If we were to define what triggers our feelings of awe would we not list....

Something much bigger than we can comprehend....
Something overwhelming to our senses ....
Something that makes us feel very small and insignificant .....
Something that is far outside the realm of our control....

God is all of the above and more , is He not ... so to feel awe toward God is a natural and proper response, one that is easily stirred within us.
When our awe is rightly placed in God and we see Him for Who He is ... the resulting emotions are peace, comfort, quietness of mind, trust, and love.

But ......

What if our 'awe' gets misplaced ? What happens then ?
What if circumstances overwhelm us? Financial circumstances, sudden loss of health, death of a loved one.

I am facing surgery and am aware how easily the surgeon's knife could slip, damaging a vital vessel or cord and change my life in important ways. I am in awe of how many details keep my body intact for it to continue to function in perfect working order.

We see the stability of our world crumble around us in frightening events - war, earthquake , destruction, financial recessions, stock market crashes, famine, drought, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.

How easily we are moved with awe at how little control we have over the events that shape our lives - both personally and globally. How easily our awe is moved or misplaced.

When our awe is misplaced - when we fixate on some overwhelming circumstance, event or experience, or to man/nation/people holding earthly power or position , the resulting emotions are ones of fear, worry, anxiety, anger, insecurity, vulnerability.

I have heard it said... "The one who fears God , fears nothing else" Perhaps this is a paraphrase of Psalm 118:6 "The Lord is on my side, What can man do to me?"

Could we not also say, "The one whose awe is firmly fixed on God, will never misplace it" ? Then we will not be overcome by awe of man or circumstance. Our hearts will not fail for what we see around us in a crumbling, frightening world. We will walk in faith and hope and trust knowing that we are forever safe in the hand of our Almighty God.

Where is your awe? Is it in God ? or is it misplaced ......
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