They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. Acts 2:42-43.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
I want to make your life beautiful, the most beautiful life ever lived but you can only arrive at that beautiful place beyond torment, toil and trouble when you have a sense of awe in Me, what I have created, and what I am doing in your life. Do not sit in the seat of the scoffer at or the critic of Me, My Words, and My works and expect to see awesome wonders in your life. Not because they are not there, but because you do not perceive them or believe them.
“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the LORD. For he will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when prosperity comes, but will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, a land of salt without inhabitant. Jeremiah 17:5-6.
How is the life of the one who believes and stands in awe of My greatness, goodness, and power different from one who does not?
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is the LORD. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8.
Blessed, empowered to be fruitful. And here is another witness in My Word:
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. Psalm 1:1-3.
What is awe? Awe is an overwhelming feeling of respect and reverence, mixed with a holy fear, inspired by something grand, sublime, or extremely powerful. It is a state of mind characterized by wonder and admiration, accompanied by a sense of being humbled. It can be termed as worship in Spirit and truth and as “holy fear” or the “fear of the LORD.” It is not the fear inspired by the devil but a profound respect and honor that would never cross that line to scoff, criticize, or demean.
Awe is acknowledging greatness beyond what you can comprehend humanly speaking. True awe can begin by what is physically experienced and seen, such as My beautiful and intricate works of physical creation or provision you receive right when you need it, but it moves into and is of the spirit realm for it does not stop with the amazing details of how the created works, even to the details that cannot be perceived with the human eye without technological means, such as microscopes, telescopes, radar, and imaging, but goes beyond and acknowledges the genius of the creator.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor and glorify Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Romans 1:20-21.
After Jesus had ascended back to Me and the believers had gathered together in He instructed and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they were clothed in wonder working power. And those who joined with them to form the early Church, the body of My Son upon earth, who devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles, fellowship with the believers, and the eucharist and prayer kept feeling a sense of awe resulting in miracles, signs and wonders. Awe brings wonders without numbers.
Bless the (אֶת־) LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy (אֶת־) name. Bless the (אֶת־) LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. Psalm 103:1-5.
Are you in awe of what I have given you in Christ? Are you in awe when your sins and offenses I remember no more because I put them all on Him? Are you in awe that you are forgiven by the Blood of My Son? Do you marvel in so great a salvation and such amazing grace that you stand before Me sinless because of what I did for you in Him? That your past is over and gone and it is time to step up to sing a new and glorious song?
I waited patiently for the LORD and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and look on in awe and will trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:1-3.
And the result of being rescued from the realm of darkness and brought into My marvelous light in the Kingdom of My beloved Son even now is you see the wonder I have done, and that leads to more and more wonders.
Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done, and Your thoughts toward us; there is none to compare with You. If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count. Psalm 40:5.
Are you in awe that I am the LORD your healer and that I heal you from all your ills, diseases, and pains because Jesus bore them all for you, including your grief and sorrow, and the scourge of sickness was lifted off you by the bloody scourges laid upon His flesh? When you are in awe and not criticizing, blaming, begging and scoffing at Me because an unclean spirit of illness tried to steal you healing, for they are still in the earth due to Adam giving his leasehold interest in the earth to Satan as his master, you can receive your healing as swiftly as the unclean spirit attacked you through an open door. Sin is crouching at you door like a stray cat watching for an opening in the hedge of your protection to run in and take control of your house, but you can be its master. And one way is to live in awe for who I am to you and who you are to Me. This shuts the door to jealousy, strife, and anger.
Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Genesis 4:6-7.
The primary reason it took the months that it did for Job to rebuild that hedge of protection around him and get out from under the captivity of the devil who was wreaking havoc in his life, possessions, and family, was he had no awe of Me. First though I had blessed his righteous life with abundance he lived in fear and was not at ease because he did not address the what he believed was sinful living by his children and second he did offer prayers and sacrifice in faith but in fear at what he felt was the impending destruction of his children. And then what he called in and opened his door to in fear, “For what I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet, and I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.” Job 3:25-26. He blamed, criticized and questioned Me about actions he attributed to Me that were not taken by Me and termed himself more righteous than I. I came and opened his eyes by showing him the intricacy and awesomeness of My creation and of My ways of redemption and resurrection and his whole countenance changed. He put his hand over his mouth, retracted what he had said, and then stood up in awe of who I am and My visitation to address his concerns. He went from the critique and scoffer to the beloved friend who would never go back to his old ways again. He learned I am a very present help in time of trouble. He repented and returned in awesome wonder as he rejoiced in the restoration of all the devil had stolen. But it was beyond that, for when I restore it is better than it was before. I restored him with twice as much as he had before (and he had already been the richest man in the east) and gave him a much better quality of possessions and family. And he never opened the door of My hedge around him to the devil again.
Then Job answered the LORD and said, “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me. I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:1-6.
Job, however, was mad at his good friends who had come to console him in his trial but ended up blaming him and being most unkind. I rebuked them and asked Job to pray for them. He prayed for them and he forgave them, I then restored all to him.
The LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the LORD increased all that Job had twofold . . . After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations. And Job died, an old man and full of days. Job 42:10,16.
I told the Israelites that they could lose all the benefits, blessings, favor, and abundance I showered on them if they complained and despised these things rather than serving Me with joy and a glad heart for the abundance of things for the destroyer could then come in and put his iron yoke on them and destroy them. Deuteronomy 28:47-48. Again it had to do with awe at all I was doing and did for them.
Those redeemed out of the slavery of Egypt following Me to their land of promise by My glory cloud among them complained constantly about the manna which sustained them in perfect health and required no labor, toil or money to have it delivered around the camp each morning so that all they had to do was walk out and gather it. Somehow it never awed them. Look at the name they called it “manna,” which in Hebrew means “What now?” And yet it was heavenly bread, a foreshadowing of the real bread that would come down from Heaven for you to eat and never die. Are you in awe of the communion covenant meal? Or to you take it lightly as they did the manna from Heaven?
Are you in awe of what I have done for you in Christ, do you thank Me for each of the benefits that are yours? Like David are you so overwhelmed by promises do you that you sit before Me in wonder and say, “Who am I, O Lord (Adonai) LORD (Yahavah), and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?” 2 Samuel 7:18. Or are you like the people of Nazareth who despised My gift of Jesus so much so that He, though He had the power, could work no miracle among them? They rejected him so strongly that they tried to throw Him down the hill to his death. They had no awe, no holy fear. The same was true of the chief priests, Pharisees and scribes. And that was why they put Him to death.
And later, after His death, resurrection, and ascension, they went after His disciples and followers, imprisoning them and even putting them to death for preaching the Name of Jesus. They had no awe of the Name to whom every knee so bow and every tongue proclaim that Jesus is Lord.
And that was true of the emperors of Rome who continued the work of the Pharisees and scribes for the devil as they put believers to death who would not deny the Name, they had no awe, no fear of the One who made all things and is Almighty—the One who made the heavens, the earth, and all that is in them for you, and who gave you life and breath and being. Who knows all things and knows your heart. I know when you sit and when you stand. I know your thoughts and I know what you are going to say before you say it. And that is why I often try to warn you not to speak.
Awe comes when wonders of beauty, goodness, and wisdom manifest and it shows itself in honor and respect of greatness beyond your comprehension. No one is in awe of evil. Awesome things are those that are beautiful and amazing giving provision and showing forth intelligence beyond the mind of man and power.
When people find My Word awesome I know they understand the power and goodness that is in My Word that once believed in the heart and released with the mouth signs and wonders follow.
And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by attesting miracles that followed. Mark 16:20.
But to find that Word of power you must know that the Bible was not written by men in their power and wisdom, but men moved ty the Holy Spirit spoke My words and not their own. 1 Peter 2:20-21.
The community of believers that banded together after Pentecost Sunday when the church was born understood this. They had great awe for My Word, listen to their prayer that shook the place where they were praying after they heard of the warning to the disciples of the Sanhedrin not to preach or do miracles in the Name of Jesus, they did not back down but took authority in prayer for an even great opportunity to preach and have miracles:
And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Lord, it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples devise futile things? The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Anointed (Christ, Messiah).’ For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy child Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy child Jesus.” Acts 4:24-30.
And the result of a prayer prayed from heartfelt awe in face of threats and danger?
And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:31.
Awe for the holy, awe for holy things, awe for the anointing, without these you life will not be beautiful and strong. Because they did not have this, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day lost all and went into nothingness, scattered among the nations serving the Caesars they preferred to call their king above the King of kings in toil and sorrow. Having no awe of My gifts, especially the gift of My Son, can make you miss the time of your visitation and your master will be not the good Shepherd but the shepherd into death and hell. Never become so “familiar” with My Word that you lose your sense of awe and treat it merely as the words of men.
For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. 1 Thessalonians 2:13.
I love you. Have you taken note of the awesome things I did for you today?
He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen. Deuteronomy 10:21