https://odb.org/2026/08/19/awesome-god
Psalm 68:1–4 (NIV): 1 May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him. 2 May you blow them away like smoke— as wax melts before the fire,
may the wicked perish before God.
3 But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. 4 Sing to God, sing in praisevof His name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him-his name is the LORD.
Psalm 68:32–35 (NIV): 32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord, 33 to him who rides across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens,
who thunders with mighty voice.
34 Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the heavens. 35 You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!
As a landscape photographer, I’m drawn to photos I find online. Recently I came across “10 of the Most Breathtaking Places in the U.S.” A photo of a geothermal spring depicts a massive basin of multicolored luminescence. A snapshot of the Hoh Rain Forest shows a dense, mossy forest that looks like something straight out of The Hobbit. A stunning picture taken in Monument Valley, Arizona, could be a panorama of Mars.
In landscape photographs, I find both immensity and intimacy. The sheer expanse of these vistas speaks personally to my soul. It makes me wonder if the landscapes of our world are really glimpses of God Himself—reflections of how He’s awesomely immense and breathtakingly loving. In that light, might we look for His reflected beauty around us today. When we see it, we might whisper to Him, “You, God, are awesome.” (Kenneth Petersen, Our Daily Bread 19th August 2026)
We must have read about the awesomeness of God in these pages time and time again, taking the lead from ODB which have had this theme and subject recur every now and then. It is just one of the things, in fact many things, about God that we are happy to repeat because indeed He is awesome, He is magnificent and He is majestic!
This morning we just like to highlight that He is immense yet intimate. He is awesome yet personal. He is the creator of the universe and all things in it and yet He is also our God, not just of the entire Christian community in the world but personally to you and I as distinct individuals. Even in worship every Sunday, we worship as a congregation but at the same time also personally. In our hearts we speak to Him, we give Him all glory and honour and praises. We lift up our burdens unto Him, the things bothering us. Our own issues of life. We seek His help and guidance to strengthen our faith, our weak knees. So we may find our strength in Him that we are made strong in our weakness through Christ.
When we look at His creation as we marvel at His marvellous handiwork, the intricacies of how things work in unison, we see His awesomeness. Yet in all that, He is accessible by us. Remember our Heavenly Father, the omnipresent, omniscient God is always only a prayer away. As believers, we have the power of prayer. Though a single soul, we have the God of all creation with us, on our side. Nevertheless in all circumstances, His angels surround us, protecting us against the vile plans of the evil one. His providence and provision assure us of hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11), on this earth and in the after life, beyond death. We have our crown of glory waiting for us at the end of our race and beyond that the new Jerusalem, the new heaven and new earth at the end of age.
I feel as a personal application, we must never ever give up this privilege of knowing God, this walk of faith as He is both immense and intimate, awesome yet personal. He is our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord while guided by the Holy Spirit, our Helper. Pursue righteousness. Sanctify our lives. Draw near unto Him. He is worth every drop of our effort, toil and tears!
