Fill Me with Awe

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Psalm 3: 3-4

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1: 14-18

My favorite moment of 2018 occurred in Yellowstone National Park on a very dark night a little after midnight, with two of my favorite people – my husband and my son. We were standing alone in silence in the chilly night along a river after everyone else was sleeping. The Milky Way and about a gazillion stars were visible. Mitchell and Jon were taking photographs, but I was just watching the stars. I haven’t seen the Milky Way in decades, and there it was, center stage in a purple sky. I was speechless and amazed to the point of tears at this gift from God. It was awesome to be in such a place with such a view. And then another awesome thing happened. My 27-year old son hugged me and said, “Thanks for giving me the love of this, and the chance to see it”, and that added to the awesome-ness of a night that will stand alone in my memories. 

I’m afraid that in our modern society, so little brings about awe for us. With all the amazing things we see created in media, the special effects of technology, and the miracles of medicine, we are immune to awe. Everything seems possible at the hand of mankind. With this lack of wonder, how often do we miss the opportunity to thank God for the work of creating the world, the beauty of our world, the miracles that happen every day, and the beauty of relationships? How often do we pass up the chance to give thanks, to worship the God who created all the beauty and awesome-ness we encounter? How often do we fail to be speechless in wonder? How often do we miss the opportunity to share the wonder at a moment with others and add to their wonder?

In spite of all that mankind can accomplish “on our own”, we need to stop and give thanks for the knowledge we have, the technology that has allowed “miracles” and beauty and connections. We need to pause as we applaud ourselves and our world for things God has made possible, and we need to step back and marvel at the beauty of our world.

Prayer: God, sometimes we barely miss a beat at a miracle of technology or medicine that would have astounded people just a generation ago. We have become so self-sufficient that we fail to give thanks, and in our self-sufficiency, we fail to give you the glory. Even a resurrection isn’t as impressive as it once was. Slow our thinking, increase our awareness, and fill us with a wonder and worship of You; our Creator and our Savior.

Lori Snyder-Sloan (reprinted with permission)