Awestruck

Jul 19, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Awestruck by the Weight of Glory

The ocean’s vastness and starry skies point to a God whose glory makes mountains melt like wax. True awe comes when we grasp God’s kabod – the heavy, tangible weight of His divine nature that leaves us trembling. This holy dread isn’t fear of punishment, but stunned reverence before the One who spins galaxies yet numbers our hairs. To stand awestruck is to trade familiarity for fresh wonder. [01:09:23]

The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory. All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods! Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O Lord. For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. (Psalm 97:6-9, ESV)

Reflection: When did you last feel truly small before God’s bigness? What ordinary moment this week could become holy ground if you reopened your eyes to His glory?

Day 2: Trading Birthrights for Bowls of Stew

Esau’s tragic exchange reveals how comfort breeds contempt for sacred things. When the eternal becomes commonplace, we barter intimacy with God for temporary relief. The stew represents all earthly cravings that dull our awe – busyness, distraction, self-sufficiency. But the birthright remains: daily access to the King who rends curtains to meet us. [01:48:03]

“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright. (Genesis 25:32-34, ESV)

Reflection: What spiritual inheritance have you been treating as common? Where might God be inviting you to trade complacency for hungry pursuit?

Day 3: Filial Fear - When Dread Draws Us Closer

True fear of God isn’t cowering from a tyrant but running toward a Father whose holiness magnetizes redeemed hearts. Like children gripping a parent’s hand near crashing waves, holy dread becomes our shelter. This fear disinfects pride – not through terror of punishment, but through awestruck confidence that His perfect love claims us. [01:24:31]

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18, ESV)

Reflection: Does your relationship with God feel more like cautious negotiation or confident adoration? What would change if you saw His commandments as love letters rather than laws?

Day 4: Holy Ground Moments: Encountering God’s Otherness

Isaiah’s temple vision strips away religious pretenses. Seraphim hide their faces before the Thrice-Holy God while we often approach casually. Yet this unapproachable light became approachable through Christ’s torn flesh. The paradox remains: grace doesn’t diminish holiness but magnifies it, making every encounter with God both terrifying and tender. [01:33:08]

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” (Isaiah 6:5-7, ESV)

Reflection: When has God’s holiness both unsettled and comforted you? How might reverent silence before Him speak louder than your words today?

Day 5: Childlike Wonder as Spiritual Warfare

Babies’ wide-eyed marvel at barking dogs mirrors our call to combat pride through holy astonishment. Wonder becomes warfare when we choose to see daily bread as miraculous and breath as sacred. Like night stars hidden by city lights, God’s nearness waits behind the curtain of routine – ours to rediscover through awestruck persistence. [01:10:35]

“I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will point out to you the One you should fear; fear the One who after He has killed has authority and power to hurl into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:4-5, AMP)

Reflection: What ordinary detail around you – a bird’s song, a child’s laugh, a flower’s bloom – could become your today’s portal to worship? How might marveling at small things guard your heart from big pride?

Sermon Summary

The fear of the Lord stands as a foundation for a real disciple of Christ, right alongside the Word and prayer. Psalm 33 says, “Let the whole world fear the Lord and let everyone stand in awe of him,” and that fear is not some side issue. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the antidote for pride, the kryptonite for pride, and the foundation of humility. Where the fear of the Lord exists, pride cannot live in that same space.

The awe of God calls God’s people back to childlike wonder. A child sees the world wide eyed and mystified, completely overwhelmed by what is grand and beautiful. Awestruck means reverential wonder, amazement, respect, and even dread. The fear of the Lord carries that same weight, because God is not small, casual, or common. God’s glory has weight, kabod, and even a small portion of His glory should leave a person undone.

Jesus teaches in Luke 12 that God’s people should not fear those who can kill the body, but should fear the One who has authority over eternity. Jesus also says, “Do not be afraid,” because the fear of the Lord eliminates all other fears. Psalm 112 says those who fear the Lord do not fear bad news. The right fear makes a person confident and fearless, not because circumstances are easy, but because God is God.

The fear of the Lord is not servile fear, the fear of a slave who obeys only to avoid punishment. God’s perfect love casts out that fear of punishment. The fear of the Lord is filial fear, the reverent awe of a child toward a perfect loving Father. This fear is rooted in love. It does not run away from God. It runs to Him. It fears grieving Him, dishonoring Him, or treating His love like it is common.

God’s holiness gives weight to that fear. Isaiah said, “It’s all over. I’m doomed,” when he encountered the Lord. John fell at Jesus’ feet as though dead. Angels cover their eyes before the throne and cry, “Holy, holy, holy,” while heaven trembles. Jesus opened the way by His blood, and the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom, but God did not become less holy.

The wonder of God can be lost when holy things become familiar. Grace, love, the blood of Jesus, and the presence of God can be treated like Esau treated his birthright, traded for a bowl of stew because something priceless had become common. The call is simple and deep: may God’s people never lose their wonder, never take His grace for granted, and remain awestruck before the holy God who is also a perfect loving Father.

Key Takeaways

1. Holy fear kills pride The fear of the Lord is not an accessory to faith. It is the foundation that keeps a disciple low before God and guarded from self importance. Pride cannot breathe in the same room where God is truly seen as holy, weighty, and worthy. [61:22]
2. Godly fear removes lesser fears Jesus holds together two truths that often feel opposite: fear God, and do not be afraid. The fear of the Lord does not produce panic or distance, but confidence because every other threat becomes smaller before Him. Bad news loses its throne when God is feared rightly. [76:26]
3. Love runs toward holy fear Servile fear runs from punishment, but filial fear runs toward a perfect Father. The fear of the Lord is not about self preservation first, but about love that does not want to grieve, offend, or dishonor God. Real awe draws the heart closer, not farther away. [86:26]
4. God’s holiness is still trembling Jesus tore the curtain and opened access to God, but the cross did not make God casual. The same angels still cry holy, the same heaven still trembles, and the same God is still weightier than any mind can comprehend. Grace gives access, but holy fear teaches how sacred that access is. [94:03]
5. Familiarity can cheapen wonder Esau’s birthright became common because he always had it, and that contempt made a bowl of stew look worth the trade. God’s grace, love, presence, and blood can also be treated as ordinary when awe gets dull. Wonder has to be recovered before priceless things are traded for temporary hunger.

## [108:39]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[57:33] - Prayer for God’s Word to Pierce
[58:33] - Awestruck and the Fear of God
[60:33] - Let the Whole World Fear the Lord
[61:22] - The Fear of the Lord Kills Pride
[64:49] - Childlike Wonder Before God
[68:23] - The Weight of God’s Glory
[71:41] - Jesus Says Fear God, Fear Not
[76:26] - Holy Fear Eliminates Other Fears
[79:18] - Servile Fear and Filial Fear
[88:13] - God Is Holy
[95:06] - Jesus Tore the Curtain
[98:05] - Have God’s People Lost Wonder?
[105:20] - Esau Traded the Birthright
[110:23] - Prayer to Remain Awestruck

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Psalm 33:8
“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!” [01:00:33]

Luke 12:4-7
“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” [01:12:21]

Psalm 112:1, 7-8
“Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments! He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.” [01:16:51]

1 John 4:18
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”

Observation questions

In Psalm 33:8, what two responses are joined together, and what does that show about the connection between fearing the Lord and standing in awe of Him? [01:04:33]
In Luke 12:4-7, what two kinds of fear does Jesus contrast, and what reasons does He give both to fear God and to not be afraid?
In Psalm 112:1, 7-8, what kind of person is being described, and what specific traits are mentioned when bad news comes? [01:17:38]
What two different kinds of fear were described, and what does each one lead a person to do in relation to God? [01:26:43]

Interpretation questions

If the fear of the Lord is called the beginning of wisdom and the antidote to pride, why would seeing God rightly make pride unable to survive in a person? [01:01:22]
Jesus says, “Fear Him,” and then says, “Fear not.” How can both of those commands be true at the same time for the believer? [01:16:26]
1 John 4:18 says perfect love casts out fear, yet Scripture still calls God’s people to fear the Lord. How does the difference between fear of punishment and reverent awe help make sense of that? [01:23:35]
Access to God was opened through Jesus, but God did not become less holy. How should that shape the way believers think about grace, worship, and the presence of God? [01:36:17]

Application questions

What tends to stir up the most fear in daily life right now—bad news, people’s opinions, financial pressure, health concerns, or something else? What would it look like to place that fear under the fear of the Lord this week? [01:16:26]
Pride cannot live where the fear of the Lord is alive. Where is pride most likely to show up right now—in speech, relationships, leadership, being easily offended, or needing to be right? How might deeper awe of God begin to crush that? [01:01:22]
Filial fear runs toward God, not away from Him. When failure or sin shows up, is the first instinct usually to hide, delay, clean things up first, or come near honestly? What would running to the Father look like in a real and practical way? [01:26:17]
Familiarity can make holy things feel common. Have grace, the cross, worship, prayer, Scripture, or church life started to feel too ordinary lately? Where has wonder gone dull? [01:38:18]
Esau traded something weighty and precious for something immediate and temporary. What are the “bowls of stew” that most often compete for the heart—comfort, appetite, entertainment, approval, lust, distraction, control? [01:48:39]
Childlike wonder does not mean shallow faith; it means wide-eyed awe before God. What helps the heart slow down enough to notice God again—time in the Word, quiet prayer, worship, creation, repentance, or something else? [01:10:20]
God is holy, and yet through Jesus believers are welcomed into His presence. When approaching God in prayer this week, what might change if there were both deep confidence and deep reverence at the same time? [01:35:06]

Sermon Clips

46s

#FearBeginsWisdom

“The Bible says this about the fear of the Lord that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. For you to have any type of wisdom whatsoever there needs to be the fear of the Lord in your life, it's the beginning of wisdom. I've learned this that the fear of the Lord is the antidote for pride. It's the kryptonite for pride. Where the fear of the Lord exists, pride cannot exist in that same space. The fear of the Lord is the foundation of humility.”

49s

#HolyAngelsTremble

“My wife talked about this that right now there are these mighty powerful angels that are circling around the throne of God right now they are with their wings. They are covering their eyes. Angels are covering their eyes because they cannot gaze upon the glory of God. They're covering their eyes. They're covering their feet, and they're circling around his throne. And they're saying one word, holy holy holy. And as they say this word, the bible says that the whole foundations of heaven are trembling. This is a holy god that we serve.”

46s

#RediscoverWonder

“May we never lose our wonder. Do we have wonder? Do we have that awe of God? This wonder of our king or have we had it at different parts of our life but have we lost that wonder? Have we lost the awe of God? Do we understand the fear of the Lord? I didn't for many years of my walk with God. It was something that the Lord had to really begin to show me and I had to really dig into to where it was something that was really applied and I'm still trying to apply it in my life even a greater and greater way. Do we understand the fear of the Lord?”

51s

#FearOfGodOvercomesFear

“``So I'm just gonna paraphrase this. In verse five Jesus says I'll tell you who to fear. Fear God. Right? But then in verse seven he says but don't be afraid you are most valuable to God. Fear God but fear not. but don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. Why? I'm gonna tell you why. Because the fear of the Lord eliminates all other fears. If you're taking notes write that down. The fear of the Lord eliminates all other fears.”

56s

#FilialFearDrawsCloser

“So let's put up this definition of filial fear now. Filial fear, this is what it says about filial fear. Filial fear is the reverent awe of a child toward a perfect loving father. It's motivated entirely by love. Rather than fearing punishment, the individual fears offending, grieving or separating themselves from a God they deeply love. So servile fear, which is not the fear of the Lord, causes a person to withdraw or draw back or run away. Filial fear causes a person to actually want to draw in, to draw closer.”

71s

#SameHolyGodToday

“we can come into the presence of God because of what Jesus has done. That's really what has changed. But God is the same God that he was then as he is now. The angels are still crying holy. Heaven is still shaking. If you were to encounter the presence of God, you would still be terrified today. his grace and was on display. And yes, now we are covered by the blood of Jesus and we are now living in God's grace and his love. But let me remind you people, he is the same God and he is holy and we cannot experience the fullness of his love, the fullness of his grace without understanding and applying and having the fear of the Lord in our lives.”

46s

#AwestruckByGlory

“To be awestruck by God means that we have encountered and experienced his glory. you are awestruck by God it's because you've encountered Maybe just just a little bit but you've experienced a a portion of his glory. And when you experience even just a portion of that you can never experience even, not the full, I mean the full glory of God would destroy you in an instant. But but experiencing just a part of that would make you be in awe of him. Every single time.”

70s

#FearNotYetFearGod

“What about God's grace? What about his mercy? Aren't we forgiven? We love to hear about the love of God, the grace of God, the mercy of God, the the the forgiveness that we have through Christ Jesus. All of these things are true. We love to hear the fact that in this bible it teaches us, God speaks directly to us, Jesus speaks directly to us. 365 times in some form or fashion the bible God says don't be afraid, fear not. We love that. 365 times, one for every day of the year, we can find in this bible that teaches us not to be afraid. But you know what else the bible says over 300 times? Fear Fear him. Fear This is a truth today that I really believe is is going to help some of us develop a grounded solid relationship with the Lord.”

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