“Faith is a reasoning trust, a trust which reckons thoughtfully and confidently upon the trustworthiness of God.” –John R. Stott
“His knowledge of this land might mean the difference between life and death, and he was too competent a fighting man not to devote time to a study of the terrain.” –Louis L’Amour
One of the words used so often today that I despise is “awesome.” When people use that word what do they mean? They will say, “That was awesome.” Or “He is awesome.” The term is used so flippantly that when something is truly “awesome” what word can be used?
My wife and I went to Saguaro National Park in southern Arizona this summer. Now, those cacti are amazing and are on the verge in my mind of being awesome. It is quite a sight to see, especially a forest of them. As we drove and hiked this the cactus forest we saw some amazing saguaro. Then when you read about them, they are even more awesome in God’s special creation, and they live up to 700-800 years.
We traveled to the Grand Canyon a few years ago. Mercy me, now that is an awesome sight! We stayed there several days and saw the sun rise and set depicting different hues. A storm came through the canyon and added to the sight. I think that is the way it is when we encounter God. He is overwhelming–awesome in power and majesty. It was like Moses on the mountain, trembling before the power of God. But that is not knowing Him, just like looking at the Grand Canyon is not knowing the canyon.
I try to imagine the settlers traveling West in the 1800s. When they saw the mountains, back before pollution, they were faced with an awesome spectacle. They did not know the mountains, they just stood amazed. However, there were men who knew the mountains. They knew the trails, the canyons, the gorges, the rivers and streams. They knew the storms and the seasons. They had a working relationship with the mountains.
To know something you have to live with it, learn about and from it, become intimate in it throughout all seasons and that includes the seasons of life. We see the awesomeness of the Grand Canyon or the Rocky Mountains, but you really don’t know them unless you get down inside them and travel them. Moses understood that with God. He saw and felt the awesomeness of God, but he wanted more. He wanted to see His face, to have a relationship with Him. We might see the power of God and say He is awesome, but that does not mean we really know Him.