Seeking Awe
“And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, ‘We have seen extraordinary things today.’”
I ran across a “Washington Post” article by Dana Milbank entitled, “Tips for finding awe from the National Gallery of Art,” and it inspired an idea. While Milbank’s insightful article described specific paintings in the National Gallery and some reasons they inspired a sense of awe, I began to think about other ways to provoke awe and why nurturing it is beneficial. For example, she showed a picture of the “Interior of Saint Peter’s, Rome” by Giovanni Paolo Pannini. She asked the reader to “Recall a time when you were awestruck by a built environment.”
I thought about my experiences of awe. My wedding day. The day our daughter was born. Special moments when our choir touched my soul, leaving me lightheaded and almost detached from my body. My list of awe-inspiring moments was long, and I felt a sense of divine meaning and gratitude. It isn’t surprising that awe feels like a God moment, because the Bible is filled with people experiencing divine awe.
When I looked up the word “awe” in the Biblical Greek, there were at least five different words, each with its own unique, nuanced meaning. What I learned from the various definitions is that there is a relationship between “fear” and “awe.” “Awe” and “respect” are closely associated. Awe can be negative, for example, when it includes a sense of shame. Yet, emotionally, awe can create a sense of dignity. Finally, “awe” and “amazement” go hand in hand. The more we can broaden our examples of awe to include fear, respect, dignity, and amazement, the more we will open experience pathways to God.
Now, it is your turn. Make your list of moments when you experienced awe. Then, consider if God might have inspired any of those experiences, or if God moved your heart and mind to recognize the expression of awe. Enjoy the process of remembering and feeling awe. As you recall your inspiring memories, begin noticing the awe around you. It may be in a worship anthem or an act of kindness while getting groceries. Soon, you will be recognizing divine awe all around you.
