Stand in Awe of God

AWE-ful!

Have you ever gone on a silent retreat?
Committed a day to be with God - to listen for his voice?
To pray without ceasing?
I've always wanted to do this, and finally committed to do it this month.

October's autumn has always been a season (my favorite) when it's easy for me to sense God.
The brilliant blue of sky, the woodsy smells, the wrapping up of green in a redgoldorange blaze of glory -- moving on into browns and greys and whites.
It invigorates me.

My retreat took place at a Jesuit center nearby with fifty or so other women.*
I was thrilled to run into friends there and to catch up over a healthy brunch.
Then the call to 4 hours of silence.
We hungrily walked over the grounds to land in a quiet spot and seek our Father....each in our own way.

Nature oozes God.
Getting away from home and work and traffic and noise distractions is soul food.
No words necessary. Just being. To be. Be.

I took a full hour beside a river and its sensory offering to quiet down. Finally, I asked God, "What's on your mind for me?" and opened up my Bible.
"Stand in awe of God."


Stand in awe. . .a command. An act of obedience.
Remember what he has done. Worship him. He is faithful. He provides. He loves me. He heals me. He calls me into partnership with him. He gives me authority. He prepares a path. He imparts himself into me. He expresses himself through me.
He is able!

Stand in awe. . .a promise.
More is coming.
Anticipate.


Awe: "profound reverence and respect for God, tempered with fear that makes us want to please and obey Him. . . solemn wonder mingled with dread. . ."
The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology


The history of the word awe started with "fright; terror" (1200's) and morphed into "awe inspiring" (1300's). By the 1600's awe was applied to God in the sense of overwhelming reverence or fear (respect).

This is more the tone of the Bible reference I had opened to read and meditate upon.
The reference is Ecclesiastes 5:7. The prophet is confronting God's people for being lax in fulfilling their promises to God. "He has no pleasure in fools...."4b

We so easily offer words of love and commitment to God and each other and so often fail to follow through. Better not to promise at all.
God is not pleased. Destruction results.
Meaningless.

In our culture not following through on our word has become permissable. Excusable. Even acceptable. "That's just the way s/he is." "Take what s/he says with a grain of salt."
We don't expect much from each other.

God is not pleased.
Awe-ful also means to me that God does not condone the "whatever" mindset of today.
It lacks respect -- for him -- for others -- for ourselves.

Bottom line, if we promise and then don't do it, we have lied.
God is then misrepresented. His reputation is smudged because of his people.



Let us be standing in praise and anticipation.
Let us mean what we say and say what we mean.
Let us recover "solemn wonder and dread."
Let us know in our inmost being that you are, indeed, an Aweful God!




*For silent retreat info in Cincinnati, contact Judy Haag, timeofrefreshment@gmail.com