The Most Important Thing About Us

/ bmoore121
The one book outside of Scripture that has most profoundly impacted me is A.W. Tozer’s Knowledge of the Holy. He begins his work with this:
What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.
Tozer’s right. In Proverbs, we see—again and again—an emphasis on the fear of the Lord. It’s the beginning of wisdom (9:10), our source of strong confidence (14:26), and our fountain of life (14:27). Each of these begin with a proper view of God that results in a fear of the Lord.

The problem is we have made forced God into a box so that our finite minds can comprehend the infinite God. We’ve made God small, and we’ve also made God just another category in our lives. But worst of all, we have made God familiar or common.

He doesn’t inspire awe within us anymore. When we make Him small and over-familiar, we lose confidence in Him, for if our God is not great, powerful, and awe-inspiring, then what grounds do we have for confidence as suffering ensues in the new year?

To experience the life, wisdom, and confidence Proverbs talks about, one must cultivate a fear of the Lord, which isn’t being scared of God.

Instead it’s a proper view of God and ourselves:
  1. A reverential awe, a dumbstruck wonder, and a quaking admiration at the thought of God.
  2. A consciousness of our dependence, insufficiency, and contingency.
To begin to develop this kind of fear of the Lord:
  1. Slow Down—way down—and reflect upon how God reveals himself in Scripture. As we read through Scripture as a church, look carefully for the amazing attributes and works of God that are revealed in the story of the Bible: His holiness, majesty, power, knowledge, and love.
  2. Practice the art of wondering throughout life.
  • For example, check out the ocean of which, according to Psalm 139:9, God is present even in the depths.
    • 71% of the surface of earth is ocean
    • 99% of the livable space (the biosphere) on earth is ocean
    • If you were to pile all the ocean on top of the United States, it would reach 82 miles above the land!
    • The ocean contains the largest mountain, mountain range, waterfall, and cavern.
*Next time you look at the ocean, allow it to lead you to wonder at how great your God truly is.

May our thoughts of God become ever greater in the new year.

Leave a comment