We have a few overused, overworked, worn-out adjectives like good, great, fantastic, amazing, and wonderful. But none has been more overused than the word awesome.
Awesome! That car is awesome! That coat is awesome! That hairstyle is awesome! That tiddlywinks-player is awesome! That bubblegum is awesome! Everything, everyone, everywhere is always and forever awesome! Sadly, awesome isn’t awesome anymore. It’s lost its awesomeness.
But the Bible speaks of One who is truly awesome and awe-inspiring.
After the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea on dry land; after the slaves had tasted the freshness of freedom; after they had witnessed the total destruction of the world’s most powerful army; they sang in reverence and worship. “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?”(Exodus 15:11, ESV). The Israelites proclaimed the awesome grace and greatness of their God!
At the end of the forty years of wilderness wanderings, God comforted His people with a promise. “Don’t be terrified of them, for the Lord your God, a great and awesome God, is among you” (Deuteronomy 7:21–22). His promise is still true. Don’t be afraid! “The Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awe-inspiring God!”(Deuteronomy 10:17).
How did five-thousand hungry men and their families respond when Jesus transformed a tiny lunch into enough bread a fish to fill their hungry bellies? They were in awe!
How did the weak and weary leper respond when Jesus touched him, making him cleaned and cured? And the lame, the crippled, the broken? When Jesus touched them; when Jesus set them free; when Jesus mended their brokenness? How did they respond? They were in awe! They worshipped Him. They shouted and sang, “Jesus is awesome!”
When Jesus healed the blind man, he boldly testified, “I was blind, and now I can see!”
(John 9:25), then, awed, he fell in humble and reverent worship (John 9:38).
When the disciples were caught on the stormy Sea of Galilee, Jesus came walking across the waves. At the Master’s command, “the wind ceased. Then those in the boat worshiped him and said, ‘Truly you are the Son of God’ ” (Matthew 14:32–33). Undoubtably, they whispered, “that’s awesome!”
Let’s change our vocabulary by reserving words like amazing and awesome for the deserving and truly “Awe-Inspiring One” (Psalm 76:11). “The Lord is … the Awesome One” (Jeremiah 20:11, NKJV). Wow! He’s awesome!
Comentários