“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” Revelation 4:8b
Recently I heard someone complain about the over-use of the word “awesome”.
“Let’s go out to McDonald’s for lunch” a friend poses. “Awesome!” someone responds.
“Did you watch The Big Bang Theory?” a friend asks. “Yes, it was awesome.”
“How do you like your 2002 Chevy Impala?” “Love it! It’s awesome.”
By definition, awesome means “causing or inducing awe; inspiring an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, or fear.” Perhaps the prospect of a fast food snack, a situation comedy, or an old car can inspire admiring reverent respect. Or maybe not, and better wording is due.
God is awesome. He is also holy, another term far too misused or over used. “Holy” has diverse meanings, yet when we think of God as holy, the definitions that stand out are “entitled to worship or veneration as sacred” as well as “inspiring fear or awe.”
John’s glimpse of heaven in Revelation pictures God on a throne surrounded by four winged creatures who do not stop singing “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come,” and twenty-four elders whose job is to remove their crowns, place them before God and declare, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created, and have their being.”
Can we be in similar awe of God? Will we join the singers and crown-layers in giving God worth? Can we realize God’s holiness as grounds for us adoring and worshiping our Creator?
Dear God, you are holy and worthy of my worship. Help me understand afresh your mysterious and mighty role as the beginning, middle, and end of all things.
By Dr. Bill Strom
Used by Permission
FURTHER READING
• Who Alone is Worthy? by Suzanne Benner
• GOD IS HOLY . . . – by Dr. Bill Bright
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