Awe and wonder are essential elements of worship, because they help awaken our soul to the fullness of God.
The very idea of worship evokes a whole host of emotions for everyone—believers and non-believers. I think most people have a basic understanding of what it is, but still, we the church have a real tendency to subvert it for our own purposes.
The awakening of awe and wonder in the soul takes us deeper, because worship isn’t just an activity on any given Sunday morning; it is like the central nervous system of the soul. Worship is the very way we stay connected to God.
You get that, right? Worship is about loving God, completely and above everything else.
As believers, we worship God because of who he is. He is worthy of all the praise, all the time—period. Darlene Zschech says it so well,
“Worship is a response to the revelation of just how great God is.” 1
Have you ever thought about awe and wonder?
What about in the context of worship? I mean, I’m sure you’ve read scripture verses that use these words, and certainly sang songs that include them in their lyrics, but have you ever really thought about what it means to be in awe of God?
I’m just going to say it…
Real, authentic worship requires awe and wonder to see, really behold, the fullness and greatness of God, Almighty. He is worthy of all the praise, but we cannot hope to respond to that which we cannot see. We must awaken awe and wonder because it will take us to deeper places of God’s heart.
Awe and Wonder
The dictionary defines awe as, “An overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, and fear…” and Wonder, “To be filled with admiration, amazement or awe;”
Go ahead and take a minute to let your mind wrap itself around that.
What does that look like in your life?
Okay, let me ask you this: what do you believe about God?
Perhaps that’s too broad? Let’s flesh it out a bit more by changing the pronouns. Ask yourself…
What do I believe about God?
Do I believe he is the Creator?
Is he all powerful?
What about his faithfulness? Is he always faithful, or is that conditional?
Does God still do miracles and if so, what does that look like?
Listen, you don’t owe me any kind of explanation, but you do need to know where you land on all of these. And, you need to push past the cursory answers, because honesty is what is going to unlock the doors for real intimacy.
These questions are powerful journal prompts; they are tools to help get at the deeper places of the soul. When you wrestle them through with the Holy Spirit, there will be revelation, and where there is revelation there will be a process in which to practice. That is the goodness of God! He will speak and lead, but we must trust, and obey.
So, what does any of this has to do with awe and wonder?
Everything—because awe and wonder are responses to the greatness of God. What you believe about God and how you see him will affect how you respond to him. Intimacy gives us an up close, clear view of who God is and there is no way to get that close and not be astounded simply by his nearness.
Do awe and wonder really matter?
What about personality type, preference, and style? Don’t we need to consider these as well? Do awe and wonder really matter that much?
The short answer is, yes. And, honestly that declaration right there stirs up real conviction in my soul.
I really believe that awe and wonder should almost be like a reflex when we see God. And maybe it is, but then why isn’t there more evidence of this in our everyday encounters? See what I mean? That’s convicting.
So, this is the question I’ve been pondering. Does God inspire awe and wonder in my eyes? Because as I pursue him I need to realize that that there will always be more to discover about Him. What about you? Do you want to get wildly brave and ask yourself these kinds of confrontational questions? I dare you to push past the hard and press in, because God is indeed faithful. He delights to reveal himself to anyway who seeks his face—he’s that good!
“Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” Luke 5:26
This! This is what it should be like when we encounter the living God. Imagine what it would be like if we really were gripped with wonder and awe as we encountered the greatness of God. I want the more of the God, how about you? Are you willing to press in for it? Because, in my experience this kind of breakthrough usually requires a hard pressing, and I’m talking about our own human effort. I’m talking about the pressing of surrender, and submitting to the crushing of refinement. Hey—we can do this! We can do hard things when we follow the way the Spirit leads.
Essential Elements of worship
The response of awe and wonder rise up when we have our eyes fixed on the Lord. Even a glimpse of his glory should be enough to cause us to fall face done. It’s actually that simple. And to be clear, we should be awed and wowed by his surpassing greatness, because there is nothing else in the world that compares to him.
I really believe that awe and wonder are essential elements of worship, because these responses help us to find our right place with him. Awe and wonder have a hard time being heard above the incessant buzzing of self-sufficiency.
True worship isn’t something we put on, it always starts from the inside out. When the soul is aligned with God the lens by which we see changes. Transformation happens in the presence of God, because when we really see him, we can’t help but respond. Worship is a like a reflex that activates as we come before the King of kings in spirit and in truth.
We need to see awe and wonder as a helpful indicator. Their absence indicates a need for awakening. Plain and simple. And as much as I want to find a way to make that sound less harsh, I can’t.
The fact of the matter is, awe and wonder cannot be worked up. We catch it and fan it into flame as we see the goodness of God. This response—this worship—comes from the deep place within the heart, where spirit meets Spirit. A reaction of awe and wonder cannot be stopped when the eyes of the heart behold the undeniable truths of God.
3 habits that awaken awe and wonder
There are probably more ways to stir up awe and wonder, but today I have 3 practical habits that provide a good place to start.
- Stop
When awe and wonder hit, make it practice to just stop. Attend the moment and really feel it. Take it all in using all of your God-given senses. This practice helps us to become aware and in tune with what awe and wonder feel like, which stirs up a hunger for more. Hunger doesn’t relent, so it will drive you until you satisfy it with more.
- Linger
Don’t rush it. Resist the urge to censor yourself. Allow awe and wonder to awaken your spirit and give yourself as much time and space as you need to process the encounter of God.
This is at the heart of the matter and too often we rush through missing the revelation of God’s amazing goodness. The testimony of God’s power is paramount, but ultimately, we all need our own encounters with God—That’s when he becomes real. Personal faith needs person stories!
- Lean in
Allow your feelings and emotions to lead you into deeper places of awe and wonder with God. What I mean is, awe and wonder will always lead to great revelation, which always inspires more.
Respond to his absolute greatness unashamedly and unapologetically. Let the awe and wonder of God lead you into his presence, where revelation and transformation happen. Oh, and don’t be afraid if that leads to pruning.
Pride is the greatest hindrance to the presence of God. There is only room for one on the throne, so leaning in is going to mean surrendering the remnants of pride that are still entwined in the soul.
Pursuing the more of God
So, here’s my challenge for the next the month. (Gulp)—Yep, a whole month, because it takes time to develop new habits. Let’s actively work with the Holy Spirit at catching and cultivating awe and wonder as we worship.
I have a free download called “Awe and Wonder: A contemplative Journey to the heart of God” complete with prompts and scriptures to help you through this 30-day adventure.
