When God is Big Again: Rediscovering Awe in Your Faith
In a world where familiarity often breeds contempt, even our relationship with God can fall victim to routine and complacency. The question isn't whether God is powerful—it's whether He feels powerful in your daily life.
How Big is God in Your Life?
The size of God in your life determines the weight of everything else you face. This isn't about God changing—He remains constant. It's about your relationship with Him and how much space you allow Him to occupy in your heart and mind.
Some people experience God as incredibly powerful and present, while others see Him as distant or weak. The difference lies not in God's nature, but in the depth of relationship and reverence we maintain with Him.
What Does Reverence Really Mean?
Reverence isn't an outdated religious concept—it's about awareness. It's what happens when you truly realize you're standing before a holy, powerful, loving God. Deuteronomy 10:12 calls us to "fear and worship the Lord your God with awe-filled reverence and profound respect."
Reverence isn't about what you do for God; it's about who God is to you. When Scripture addresses reverence, it always starts with God's character before mentioning our actions. This order matters because reverence shapes everything else in our spiritual lives.
Why Do We Lose Our Sense of Awe?
We lose awe when God becomes familiar. Just like in marriage, the excitement and wonder of a new relationship can fade into routine if we're not intentional about maintaining it.
In America, we've become so familiar with God that He's become an afterthought—someone we turn to when convenient or when trouble strikes. We attend church occasionally, pray when we need something, and read the Bible sporadically. This familiarity can be spiritually dangerous when it replaces genuine reverence.
How Angels Maintain Constant Awe
Isaiah 6:3 shows us angels crying out "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the commander of angel's army." These heavenly beings worship God 24/7 because they haven't gotten over who God is. Neither should we.
Angels maintain constant awareness of God's majesty and power. They serve as a model for how we should approach our Creator—with unending wonder and respect.
When God is Big, Fear Shrinks
Awe changes what you're afraid of. When God becomes large in your perspective, your problems become small. This doesn't mean difficulties disappear, but it reorders your perspective on them.
Consider David facing Goliath. David's God was so big that Goliath appeared small. The same giant that terrified an entire army looked manageable to someone who truly understood God's power.
A Personal Testimony of God's Bigness
Life can hit us with devastating blows—the loss of a child, a cancer diagnosis, difficult trials. These experiences test whether our God is truly big or just a Sunday routine.
Through the darkest valleys, including the murder of a son and a battle with stage-three cancer, God's bigness becomes evident. Not because the pain disappears, but because His presence sustains us through what we cannot handle alone.
When doctors can't even find where cancer once was, when strength comes from an unknown source during impossible circumstances, when peace exists in the midst of chaos—these are testimonies to God's bigness, not our strength.
What Sustains a Movement?
Moments matter, but they were never meant to carry the weight of a movement. A spiritual movement is sustained when people continue to stand in awe of God long after emotional moments have passed.
Christianity is experiencing a movement today. Believers are becoming unashamed to speak about Jesus in public forums. This movement continues because it's built on the foundation of who God is, not just what He does for us.
The Difference Between Testimony and Boastimony
A testimony points to God's power and faithfulness through difficult circumstances. It's a testament to His character and ability to see us through tests.
A "boastimony," however, focuses on our strength, our achievements, our ability to overcome. True testimony always gives glory to God and demonstrates His bigness in our lives.
Returning to Holy Ground
An altar isn't a place you walk to—it's a response you choose. God is calling us back to a place of awe, where worship becomes something we enter rather than something we attend.
Some haven't walked away from God entirely, but somewhere along the way, they lost their sense of awe. Prayer became routine, worship became obligation, and God became just another religious activity.
Life Application
This week, intentionally cultivate awe in your relationship with God. Start each day by acknowledging His greatness before presenting your needs. When you pray, begin with worship and recognition of who He is rather than immediately asking for what you want.
Set aside time to remember specific ways God has shown His power in your life. Write them down. Share them with others as testimonies, not boastimonies. Let these memories rebuild your sense of awe and reverence.
Ask yourself these questions:
How big is God in my daily thoughts and decisions?
Do I approach Him with the same excitement and reverence I once had?
What fears in my life would shrink if I truly grasped God's bigness?
Am I treating my relationship with God like a routine or a living, dynamic connection?
The goal isn't to manufacture emotions, but to realign your perspective with the truth of who God is. When God becomes big again in your life, everything else finds its proper place.
