12. LET US STAND IN AWE

THE ‘LET’ OF LENT – Thursday, March 4th

Read Psalm 33:1-9.

Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
Psalm 33:8

Today our spiritual invitation is to Let us stand in awe. When we think of standing in awe of God, we may think of reverently observing such majestic grandeur as mountaintops, sunrises, stars in the night sky, the planets and universe, waterfalls, oceans, canyons. We may think of gratefully experiencing such unforgettable times as mission trips, altar calls, concerts, births of children or grandchildren.

But perhaps God is most awesome in the ways God becomes small, in the ways God comes to us in our normal daily living. God is in the majesty, but God is also in the minute moment…

This morning I prayerfully journaled about several concerns that were upsetting me, and I wondered when we would finally have answers and brighter days. A few moments later, Jim and I were having our morning devotional time – and the reading spoke exactly to what I was feeling. The words gently instructed me to not just wish and wait for better days, but to be attentive to the goodness that still abounds, to savor the small sweetness of the present moment.

These moments of answered prayer or divine insight are when I am most filled with awe. I sense that God is SO close, listening to my small self, and assuring me of God’s amazing love and guidance. God is most likely always creating these “I am with you, I hear you, I will help you” moments! And how many of them do we miss?

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
    O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is so high that I cannot attain it.
Where can I go from your spirit?
    Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
    if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning
    and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me fast.
(Psalm 139:1-10 NRSV)

How can we not be filled with awe?

God is the infinite, beyond-all-knowing, eternal, ever present, awesome Creator of the universe.

God is also the infant, fully-human Jesus, the Spirit moving within us, the words we hear or read or pray, the humble sacrifice of love, the lessons found in nature.

God is in the sheer silence but also the quiet whisper.
God is in the waterfall but also the dewdrop.
God is in the snowstorm but also the snowflake.
God is in the mountain but also the pebbles in the stream.
God is in the cathedral but also the cottage.
God is in the gospel choir but also the birdsong.
God is in the powerful sermon but also the inner question.
God is in eternity but also in this very moment.

~~~~~

May the Spirit help us to notice, appreciate, and be filled with awe today, as we find the presence of God in the majestic grandeur, as well as in the humble lowliness of our everyday moments.

~~~~~

Our reading for tomorrow will be Psalm 27.

Photo by Karen, Outer Banks, 2016

Bible verses found at https://classic.biblegateway.com/