TUSITE SUNE 2, 2026
SIOPE 24-28; SAAME 46:1-11
In times of trouble, it is important to protect and stimulate your awe of God.
‘I he taimi ‘o e faingataa, ‘oku mahu’inga ke tau tokanga mo hunuaki ‘etau ‘apasia ki he tu’unga naunau’ia mo lahi ‘o e ‘Otua.
Your heart is always being captured and shaped by the awe of something. God has hardwired us for awe in order to drive us to him in worship and surrender. He placed us in an awesome world, where created glories greet us everywhere we look. Perhaps you stand in awe of a snowcapped mountain peak or a bubbling stream. Maybe you're awestruck by a huge ribeye steak. Perhaps you're amazed by the beauty and intelligence of another person, or a feat someone has accomplished. Maybe money or the pleasures of sexuality capture your wonder. All of the awesome glories and pleasures of life have been created by God. Rightfully enjoyed, they serve an essential purpose in God's wise plan for us. They are signs that point us to his presence and glory. God does not intend for his created glories to be objects of our worship. Rather, they should excite and deepen our awe of God, so that his majesty captures us and sets the agenda for the way we live.
Particularly when trouble looms large and seems inescapable, we must protect and stimulate our awe of God. If awe of God doesn't shape our lives when times are hard, then awe of something else will. When we are suffering, we must work to gaze upon the glory of the Lord; that is, we meditate on him, not on our trouble. Biblical faith never asks us to deny reality. But it does require that we meditate on the glory of God in the midst of overwhelming trouble.
This is exactly what Job does in the middle of horrible suffering and loss:
[God] stretches out the north over the void
and hangs the earth on nothing.
He binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
and the cloud is not split open under them.
He covers the face of the full moon
and spreads over it his cloud.
He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters
at the boundary between light and darkness.
The pillars of heaven tremble
and are astounded at his rebuke.
By his power he stilled the sea;
by his understanding he shattered Rahab.
By his wind the heavens were made fair;
his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways,
and how small a whisper do we hear of him!
But the thunder of his power who can understand? (Job 26:7-14)
May God give us the grace in times of trouble, even when he seems distant, to preach to ourselves the glory of his majesty, so that trouble doesn't overwhelm us and rob us of our awe of him.
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