Spiritual Disciplines for Deepening Awe and Wonder of God

Spiritual disciplines are practices intended to cultivate a deeper relationship with God, often leading to an increased sense of awe and wonder. These disciplines are rooted in biblical calls to seek God, understand His wisdom, and meditate on His works ^{[1, 2, 9]}.

One foundational discipline is the diligent pursuit of divine wisdom and knowledge. The book of Proverbs repeatedly emphasizes the importance of attending to wisdom, which is presented not merely as worldly understanding but as spiritual and evangelical insight ^[6]. This wisdom encompasses the doctrines of the Gospel and the ordinances of God, requiring an inclination of the ear and an application of the heart ^[12]. Such a pursuit involves an earnest and importunate desire, expressed through prayer, and a diligent search for these truths, much like seeking hidden treasure ^[12]. The apostle Paul similarly speaks of the "full assurance of insight into the knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ" ^[4]. This pursuit of knowledge is not merely intellectual but transformative, as it involves bringing "every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" ^[5].

Meditation on God's wondrous works is another key discipline. The Psalmist declares, "Of the glorious majesty of your honor, of your wondrous works, I will meditate" ^[2]. This involves reflecting on God's actions and attributes, which can lead to a profound sense of awe. Adam Clarke, in his commentary on Genesis, highlights the "astonishing wisdom" evident in creation, particularly in the design of humanity and the natural world ^[11]. Reflecting on these aspects of creation can reveal God's perfection and excellence ^[11]. Similarly, meditating on God's "deep things," which are often hidden from human understanding unless revealed by Him, can deepen one's appreciation for His wisdom and knowledge ^[7]. These deep things include the thoughts of His heart and His plans for His people ^[7].

The "fear of the Lord" is also presented as a crucial discipline for cultivating awe. Matthew Henry describes the fear of the Lord as "the instruction and correction of wisdom," suggesting that a reverent awe of God guides wise counsel and corrects unwise actions ^[10]. This reverence is not a cowering dread but a profound respect and submission to God, which improves knowledge and rectifies mistakes ^[10]. This aligns with the biblical understanding that God's judgments and ways are "unsearchable" and "past finding out," prompting a response of wonder at the "depth of the abundant wisdom and knowledge of God" ^[3].

Furthermore, spiritual disciplines involve redirecting emotions toward the Lord. The Psalms suggest that offering sacrifices "in the right spirit" prevents excessive self-reflection and instead focuses the individual on God ^[8]. This redirection helps to cultivate a godly perspective. The pursuit of God is described as the "high end of all these arrangements of Divine Power, Wisdom, and Love," implying that all aspects of God's work are designed to draw humanity to seek and find Him ^[9]. While humanity may "feel after him" as if groping in the dark, God is not far from anyone, and the difficulty in finding Him lies in humanity's distance from Him due to sin ^[9]. Therefore, disciplines that address sin and draw one closer to God are essential for experiencing His presence and fostering awe.

Sources

Psalms “Let me understand the teaching of your precepts! Then I will meditate on your wondrous works. -- Psalms 119:27”
Psalms “Of the glorious majesty of your honor, of your wondrous works, I will meditate. -- Psalms 145:5”
Romans “Romans 11:33 (Tyndale) — O the depnes of the aboundaunt wysdome and knowledge of God: how vnserchable are his iudgementes and his wayes past findyng out.”
Colossians “Colossians 2:2 (LEB) — so that their hearts may be encouraged, united in love and into all the wealth of the full assurance of insight into the knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ,”
2 Corinthians “throwing down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; -- 2 Corinthians 10:5”
Proverbs (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Proverbs 5:1: My son, attend unto my wisdom,.... Not the wisdom of the world or of the flesh, worldly wisdom and carnal policy; but spiritual and evangelical wisdom; such as one that is greater than Solomon has in him, even Christ; "for in him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge", Col 2:3; and which he teaches and communicates to others, even all proper instructions for conduct in life: the Gospel, and each of the doctrines of it, which are "the wisdom of God in a mystery", Co1 2:7, these every child of God, and disciple of Christ, ought carefully and diligently to atten”
Job (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Job 12:21: He discovereth deep things out of darkness,.... The deep things of God, his own deep things which lie in his heart, wrapped up in darkness impenetrable to creatures, and which could never be known unless he had discovered them; such as the thoughts of his heart, which are very deep, Psa 92:5; the deep things of God, which the Spirit of God only knows, searches, and reveals, Co1 2:10; even his thoughts of peace, and good things for his people, which are many and precious, are known to himself, and made known to them, or otherwise must have remained in darkness, and out o”
Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 4:5: 4:5 Offer sacrifices in the right spirit: Redirecting emotions toward the Lord prevents a godly individual from doing too much self-reflection (40:6-8; 51:17).”
Acts (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Acts 17:27: That they should seek the Lord--That is the high end of all these arrangements of Divine Power, Wisdom, and Love. if haply they might feel after him--as men groping their way in the dark. and find him--a lively picture of the murky atmosphere of Natural Religion. though he be not far from every one of us--The difficulty of finding God outside the pale of revealed religion lies not in His distance from us, but in our distance from Him through the blinding effect of sin.”
Proverbs (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Proverbs 15:33: See here how much it is our interest, as well as duty, 1. To submit to our God, and keep up a reverence for him: The fear of the Lord, as it is the beginning of wisdom, so it is the instruction and correction of wisdom; the principles of religion, closely adhered to, will improve our knowledge, rectify our mistakes, and be the best and surest guide of our way. An awe of God upon our spirits will put us upon the wisest counsels and chastise us when we say or do unwisely. 2. To stoop to our brethren, and keep up a respect for them. Where there is humility there i”
Genesis (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Genesis 1:28: And God blessed them - Marked them as being under his especial protection, and gave them power to propagate and multiply their own kind on the earth. A large volume would be insufficient to contain what we know of the excellence and perfection of man, even in his present degraded fallen state. Both his body and soul are adapted with astonishing wisdom to their residence and occupations; and also the place of their residence, as well as the surrounding objects, in their diversity, color, and mutual relations, to the mind and body of this lord of the creation. The co”
Proverbs (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Proverbs 2 (introduction): INTRODUCTION TO PROVERBS 2 This chapter directs to the means of attaining to the knowledge of divine things, and shows the profit and advantage arising from thence. The means are, embracing the doctrines of the Gospel, and retaining in memory and affection the ordinances of it, Pro 2:1; and an inclination of the ear and an application of the heart to the knowledge of these things, Pro 2:2. An earnest and importunate desire, expressed by prayer, after the same, Pro 2:3; and a diligent and unwearied search for them, as for silver and hid treasure, Pro 2:”

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