A W E

AND I’LL STAND WITH ARMS HIGH AND HEART ABANDONED IN AWE OF THE ONE WHO GAVE IT ALL

Maybe you are familiar with these words above. Maybe not. They are lyrics to a song by Hillsong called, The Stand.

Not sure about you, but quite often I sing songs completely unaware of what I’m singing! This happens a lot. Not as much as it used to, but still I get into this weird mode where I’m oblivious to words coming out of my lips. Maybe you can relate? Well, singing this song recently the word “awe” stood out to me.

Awe defined means, “a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear and wonder.”

This song says that the reason we are standing, the reason we are raising our arms in worship… is out of “awe for the one who gave it all.” Jesus has done something. He gave it all. For us. To redeem us. To save us. At the heart of worship is praising God for what HE has done.

And as we sang this, I wondered, “Am I in awe”? 

It is easy to say things. It is easy to do things. But are these things we say and do for God out of a heart in AWE of God? Am I amazed at his grace in my life? Do I weep over his mercy for me? This is what it means to be in awe of him. And I know from my own experience, it is easy to look the part with NO awe.

Something captivates our attention. Maybe a couple of things. Something grips our hearts. We effortlessly give our time, affections, money, attention, and love to something. We were created to worship. But is that thing God? Or have we subtly exchanged his glory for something less? Have we tricked ourselves into thinking we love God when we really love the things he gives us?

Maybe we should give less time to doing things this week and more time to looking, gazing, wondering at God’s love for us. To soak in God’s work of salvation on our behalf. When we do that and see Him in his Word and the Spirit moves, awe happens. And when awe happens, true worship and doing starts to take place.

I’ll write another post soon on how/where to start doing this, but here is a good place to start: Meditate on Isaiah 66:1-2 and consider a few questions to prime the pump:

• What does vs 1 and 2a say about God?
• What does does vs 1 and 2a indirectly say about people in light of God?
• How might this cause you to praise God
• What might be the significance of the word “but” in vs. 2b?
• Who does God look to?
• What would it look like to be the kind of person God looks to?

“Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.” Amazing Grace, by John Newton