The Necessity of Awe

My wife and I just returned from the Canadian Rockies. It was one of the most beautiful places that we had ever seen. Snow-capped mountains. Turquoise lakes. Rushing, clear mountain streams. Wildlife and nature all around us. Absolutely, stunningly, breathtakingly beautiful.

Apparently we are not the only ones who think this. As we hiked and toured through Jasper, Lake Louise, Lake Moraine, and Banff, we met people from all over the world. India. Columbia. Great Britain. Denmark. Australia. Argentina. Thailand. Ukraine. China. Japan. Different ethnicities, languages, skin colors, clothing, religions, and, I’m sure, political persuasions.

But there was something unique and beautiful that brought everyone together. No matter where a person was from, they had a camera or a phone and, just like us, they were trying to capture the splendor, remember the moment, share the transcendence with others.

It got me thinking.

Maybe awe is a necessity.

Maybe awe is what we are missing.

Maybe awe is something that we all could use a little more of.

Biblically, theologically, and practically, I believe that we were made to worship.

We have a hunger for the transcendent.

We want to be awed.

We are uniquely created in this way.

It is humans who gather by the thousands, in stadiums all over the world, to watch sports, to attend concerts, to cheer, to chant, to sing, to be awed.

And if we miss the event, then we watch it on TV or revisit it on YouTube, wanting to see the “highlights,” the moments that capture something incredible, something amazing, something that commands, demands, expands our wonder.

You don’t see animals doing this. There are moose, marmots, birds, bears, cow elks, and chipmunks all over Banff and none of them are gathered together in groups, staring at the mountains, taking pictures, ooing and ahing at the beauty around them.

You have never seen a group of animals in a circle watching another animal doing tricks, jumping around, and showing off his skills to the others.

This is a uniquely human trait.

We were created to worship.

David Wallace Foster perhaps said it best in his renowned commencement address at Kenyon College.

In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.

At the core of everything that we think, say, and do is the element of worship. What do we worship? What dominates our mind? Where is our focus? Where is our heart?

That is why I think awe is a necessity.

Awe does at least four things to us.

1.  Awe humbles us.

When you stare at the mountains and see the glory and majesty around you, it has a way of reminding you of how small you are and how big the universe is around you.

Liz and I went on a late-night hike just to see the stars on the top of Mount Standish. As we looked up, we found ourselves literally “looking up.” You want to sing. You want to try to take it all in. You even want to try to take a picture (which is hard to do in the middle of the night!).

It is no wonder that one of David’s greatest psalms (Psalm 8) was written as he stared at the same night sky that we saw.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

We all could use a little humility. And awe helps us find it.

2. Awe enlarges our perspective.

In the craziness of life, the fast pace, the running to and fro, the stressful demands, the annoying traffic, the ubiquitous noise, it is easy to develop a myopic view of life. Everything shrinks in. You get caught up in yourself. You can’t see past your own nose.

Awe expands your vision.

It reminds you that there is something bigger out there than your own little world.

It reminds you that there is something bigger out there than the talking heads telling you that all that matters is the news of the day

It reminds you that you are part of a bigger world, a bigger universe, a bigger story.

It is not all about me.

There is something greater out there.

And unless I am willing to see it, then I will miss the most important things in life.

3. Awe leads us to gratitude.

I don’t know how to describe it but there is something that wells up in you when you see something majestic, something glorious, something beautiful. You want to hold onto it. You want to share it with others. You want to give thanks to someone.

Of course, I think that “someone” is God.

It is interesting that Paul says the first step away from God is when you see the glory of creation and you refuse to give thanks.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:20-21)

If that is the first step away from God, then it would make sense that the first step back to Him would be simply learning to be in awe of the creation around you and to give thanks.

It is a gift to you.

It is an invitation to worship.

C. S. Lewis, in his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, describes these moments as “Joy.” Not joy in small letters. But Joy capitalized.

All Joy reminds. It is never a possession, always a desire for something longer ago or further away or still ‘about to be’.

Even as an atheist, Lewis could not escape these shots of awe, these moments of transcendence, this desire to give thanks, this hunger for Joy.

That’s why he finally surrendered to God. He called it being “surprised by Joy.”

Lewis then gave this practical advice.

Shut your mouth; open your eyes and ears.

In a world where there is a lot of talking but a lack of thanking, maybe the best medicine is a good shot of awe.

4. Awe points us to God.

This is where it all leads.

Back to God.

We were created to worship. We were created to be in relationship with Him. We were created to love and be loved.

Sin has turned us inward. Sin has made us self-focused. Sin has narrowed our vision. Sin has darkened our hearts. Sin has distorted our minds.

Awe calls us out of this.

Awe calls us to a greater vision.

Awe calls us back to our Creator.

Awe is not enough but it is a necessity.

Awe reminds us that we need God.

Who else can you thank when you see the glory of creation?

Do you really believe it was all put together by random chance?

Can you really deny your hunger for transcendence?

Can you really resist the love of a God who not only created you, but also entered your world and died for you?

Yes, I know I jumped from Banff to the Bible, from Lake Louise to the Lord Jesus Christ.

But I really don’t think it is that big of a leap.

At least allow yourself to be in awe of the creation around you.

Learn to shut your mouth and open your eyes.

Humble yourself.

Enlarge your perspective.

Give thanks.

And be still and know that He is God.