Are You In Awe?
Well this story in Luke 5 is encouraging in so many ways. But I love how it ends! We saw the man take up his mat and go on his way, praising God. And in verse 26, the little story ends with Luke writing, “Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, ‘We have seen remarkable things today.’”
Amazed, In Awe, Remarkable!
I love those words. “Amazed”, “filled with awe”, “remarkable”. They realized that something very special was going on here. And I know that in our faith we so often forget how amazing and awesome and remarkable Jesus is. We can settle into this way of familiarity in our faith. That's a tragedy because when we read a story like this or any other page of the Bible, we should be amazed and filled with awe and see how remarkable it is!
When we encounter human beings who are beautifully created by God we should be amazed! We should stand in awe when we understand how God has provided for us and loved us and forgiven us and been there for us, accompanying us through our lives. We should be amazed! We should say “this is remarkable!”
When last did you stand before God and say, “Wow, wow, wow! How is it that you love me, Lord?” When last where you filled with awe? I hope that it happens to you often. I hope that you don't start to see your faith as just ho-hum, every-day, but that you're amazed! And I hope that you come to the Bible and to your prayer time with a spirit of amazement, seeking God's awe and wonder in these words, and glorifying Him for these things.
Praising God Out of Awe
As verse 26 said, “they gave praise to God.” Are we giving praise to God because we're amazed? And you know, there are so many songs that come to mind. I think of a song that says, “Lord, I'm amazed by you, how you love me.” I think of a song that says, “I stand. I stand in awe of you.” These words help us to get a sense for God's greatness.
Today, friends read this story again or listen to it again. And don't just go, “Oh yeah, okay.” But go “Wow, wow, wow, wow! This is the God that I know and this is the God that I love!”
And don't let a day go by when you're not amazed by God. Because it truly is amazing that the God who holds the universe in his hands sent his son to earth to forgive us and to set us free. It is the most amazing truth of all.
Let's walk in a state of awe today because we realize how great God is.
