I think it’s interesting to watch the “Antiques Road Show” on PBS. Someone buys something at a garage sale for a few dollars — a piece of furniture, for example. On a lark they bring it to the “Antiques Road Show” and the experts take one look, express ooohs and aaahs over it, are amazed, and they can’t believe what they’re seeing. “It’s worth thousands of dollars,” they say! They see in it what the buyer — and most of us — don’t see.

This is our experience with most things. We know a little about a lot of things, but a lot about only a few things. For instance, some of you know how to crochet. You can look at something that was crocheted and be in awe of the artistry. Most of us think that it looks nice, but we’re not amazed by the artistry the way you are.

Some people are really interested in classic cars. They see an old car, look under the hood, and stand back in awe. Most of us would see — well, just an old car.
I know a man who collects handguns. He keeps them in a safe and doesn’t fire them very often, but when he showed them to me, one by one, he held them and caressed them, amazed by their craftsmanship. To me, they just looked like handguns; I wasn’t very impressed.

You and I aren’t going to be impressed with many things, because we know so little about most things. That’s what happens with most of us when it comes to God. We really know very little about Him, so it’s hard to be really impressed with Him, to be really wowed by Him, or to be in awe of Him.

WHAT ARE WE THINKING ABOUT GOD?
What’s bigger or more important than God? Nothing. Isn’t it amazing, then, that we can get on with our lives without giving more thought to Him or letting Him have more of an impact on our lives than He does?

It’s sort of like the “elephant in the room” situation. It would be difficult to ignore an elephant in a room, yet we can go about our day-to-day tasks for extended periods without even thinking about God, who has made everything, keeps everything going, and is present everywhere. Most of the time most of us aren’t especially awed by God.

Add to this the fact that we’re created to be awed. There’s something in us that wants to be wowed! God designed us this way. We find it deeply satisfying to be wowed, awed, and impressed. That’s why we enjoy watching magicians perform, looking at a sunset, and viewing the Grand Canyon. That’s why we like seeing a fantastic play carried out to perfection in a game and hearing stories about heroes.

We should be most in awe when it comes to God, but often we’re more captivated, amazed, attracted to, and wowed by other things than we are by God. Do you ever get excited by or interested in something more than God? Welcome to the club!

One of my favorite authors, Calvin Miller, wrote, “Appetite is a life sign. Healthy people get hungry. Our appetites can at last define us.” (Into the Depths of God, p.23) What are our greatest appetites? What do we think about a lot and yearn for the most? What makes us frustrated because we don’t have it? It’s good to remember that our appetites define us.

What about God? How big is our appetite for Him? How much do we yearn for more of Him? How excited do we get about Him? A. W. Tozer wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Do you want to understand the most important thing about you? It’s what you think of God!

It doesn’t really matter whether I’m impressed with a piece of antique furniture, a crocheted item, an antique car, or a well-built handgun. You can get through life and eternity quite well without any of those things, but God is a different story!

God created us with souls; they’re the core of who we are. This week and for the following five weeks we’re going to reflect on what we’re really like at our cores: in our souls. We’re calling the series “Anatomy of a Soul,” and we’ll look at a different psalm each week to understand who we are in our souls. The much-respected Christian author N. T. Wright stated that the psalms “express all the emotions we are ever likely to feel.” (Simply Christian, p.144)

In this first message in the series we’re looking at one of our deepest hungers, or needs, of the soul: to be awed, or wowed. Our souls are designed to soar with being awed by God! How can we fulfill this deep need to be awed by God? We really aren’t awed by Him as much as we should be.

ALLOWING OURSELVES TO BE AWED BY GOD
God is awesome, so it’s not a matter of trying to work up some more “awe” for God or excitement about Him. He’s awesome, so it’s just a matter of seeing Him as He really is and letting ourselves be in awe of Him and excited about Him. N. T. Wright stated, “When we begin to glimpse the reality of God, the natural reaction is to worship Him. Not to have that reaction is a fairly sure sign that we haven’t yet really understood who He is or what He’s done.” (Simply Christian, p.143) Let’s look at Psalm 33; it can help us better understand who God is and what He has done.

Three different times the psalmist mentioned God’s “unfailing love” (vs. 5, 18 and 22). It’s nice to reflect on God’s creative power and how He can control everything, but I want to know more than anything that this great big God of the universe has a love for me that never stops! This is ultimately a friendly universe, because the God who made it seeks to be friendly to me — and to you, too! This is awesome to consider!

The psalmist also had us consider the fact that God made the starry heavens, which we’re all likely to be amazed by. On a clear night you can see millions of stars. If it’s really dark you can see so many stars that they almost look like clouds. When you realize that some of what look like stars are really galaxies containing billions of their own stars, it’s awe-inspiring! The psalmist declared, “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.” (v.6) Arizona State University astrophysicist and cosmologist Paul Davies observed, “I have come to believe more and more strongly that the physical universe is put together with an ingenuity so astonishing that I cannot accept it merely as a brute fact.”

The psalmist went on to talk about the sea and gave us the image of God’s being so big that, as big as the oceans are, it’s as if He’s holding them in a jar in His hand: “He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses.” (v.7)

Then he talked about the fact that God is in control of the nations of the world. It often seems like everything is spinning out of control, but God is still ultimately in control! Saddam Hussein had tremendous power. He had the power to torture and to take lives. In the end, however, he was humbled by being pulled from a glorified rabbit’s hole, tried, and hanged. No human ruler has ultimate power. “The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” (vs.10-11)

The psalmist described how God considers everyone, everywhere, all the time: “From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth — he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.” (vs.13-15)

The psalmist talked about how our very best efforts are useless without the approval or help of God: “No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.” (vs.16-17) God is the ultimate mover and shaker!

THE RESULTS OF BEING IN AWE OF GOD
If we truly ponder God and invite Him to be real to us, we can’t remain as we were. Our souls can thrill at responding in awe to God in many ways; the psalmist mentioned just a few of them.

First, we find deep joy and satisfaction in worshiping God, privately or together (as in this worship service). The psalmist began, “Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.” (v.1) Rooting for God — which is called “worship” — is better than rooting at a ball game. “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.” (v.3)

Being in awe of God doesn’t just lead to worship. It colors all of life in a way that enables us to face life with confidence and hope. The psalmist ended by declaring, “We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” (vs.20-22)

Well-known preacher Bob Russell told a story about when he was nine years old and had to walk the last half mile home on a gravel road in the dark. It was scary; the trees seemed to come alive. Sometimes, however, his dad would meet him and walk with him. He wrote, “Suddenly all my troubles were over, and the two of us walked home. I didn’t have a care in the world.” Walking with a big, strong dad can do that. Being in awe of and having a relationship with the great big God of the universe can do even more than that for us! Experiencing the WOW! factor is the way to live life to its fullest — as it was meant to be lived!