In grad school, one of my Bible professors challenged us to stop using the word “awesome” for anything other than God. He said, “There’s only One who truly deserves that word.” The more I thought about it, the more I realized he was right. Only the Lord is worthy of our awe—He alone is truly awesome.

Psalm 33 affirms this truth by pointing us to God’s unmatched power: “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses” (vv. 6–7). God simply spoke, and galaxies spun into motion. He breathed, and stars came alive. He scooped up oceans as easily as we cup water in our hands.

God is good. God is big. God is holy. God is infinite. Yet He is also near and kind. The more we reflect on who He is and what He has done, the more awe should rise in our hearts. If you find your sense of awe fading, maybe it’s because you’ve drifted from His greatness. Get close again—open His Word, seek His presence in prayer, and let Him reset your vision. One fresh encounter with the Lord can change everything.

I’ll never forget a moment that stirred awe in me. I was once invited to a basketball run where Kobe Bryant and LeBron James might coach. Sure enough, mid-workout, the doors opened—and in walked Kobe and Bron. Instantly, the atmosphere shifted. Everyone locked in, playing harder, sharper, more focused. We wanted to honor these legends with our game.

Now take that to a greater level with God. His presence isn’t “maybe”—it’s here, now. What if we lived with that same intensity, caring more about what He thinks than anyone else? What if our words, choices, and lifestyles were all expressions of the fear of the LORD and our awe toward His majesty and sovereignty (Psalm 8)? David put it perfectly: “Holy and awesome is his name!” (Psalm 111:9).

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28–29)