Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of Him.

Psalm 33:8

Experiencing awe while in the presence of God is in decline as a Christian practice. Some Christians address God as a friend, a buddy or even a sweetheart. Casual prayers dominate small group meetings. “Oh hi, God. How’s it going?” More liturgical churches quote the words, but have lost the meaning. So why not deliberately experience awe this Lent.

I define awe as “reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.” Awe is similar to “fear of the Lord.” Scripture commands us to experience God with awe. And, no surprise, awe also is important for human emotional health.

According to a 2018 white paper that the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley prepared for the John Templeton Foundation, experiencing awe is, yes, awesome. The experience often puts people in a self-transcendent state where they focus less on themselves and feel more like a part of a larger whole.

The study found that the individualistic culture of the United States impacts how Americans experience awe. Research by Dr. Michael Amster (co-author of “The Power of Awe“) found Americans less likely than most cultures to have those experiences at all. And, when they do, they are more likely to experience awe over personal accomplishments, the white paper reports.

People who are extraverted, open to new experiences, and/or wise more likely experience awe. It can also come over us during threat-based experiences, such as the September 11th attacks or the eureka moments like the Earthrise photo taken by an astronaut in 1968 showing Earth from the moon’s perspective for the first time. Other awe-inspiring things:

• Moral acts of courage and bravery
• Beauty in art, music and nature
• Collective experiences that become euphoric
• Observation of birth or death

And, of course, awe comes from religious experiences.

A Famous Awe Experience

I recently read “Man’s Search for Meaning” by psychiatrist and Auschwitz survivor Viktor Frankl. I was struck by his description of an awe experience that took place shortly after he was liberated from a concentration camp. So were the authors of the white paper, who included it in their work.

Frankl wrote: “One day, a few days after the liberation, I walked through the country past flowering meadows, for miles and miles, toward the market town near the camp. Larks rose to the sky and I could hear their joyous song. There was no one to be seen for miles around; there was nothing but the wide earth and sky and the larks’ jubilation and freedom of space. I stopped, looked around and up to the sky – then I went down on my knees. At that moment there was very little I knew of myself or of the world – I had but one sentence in mind – always the same: ‘I called to the Lord from my narrow prison and He answered me in the freedom of space.’

“How long I knelt there and repeated this sentence memory can no longer recall. But I know that on that day, in that hour, my new life started.” (pg. 89, Beacon Press edition)

Dacher Keltner, PhD, a psychology professor at UC Berkeley, developed more recent research, which he wrote about in a book “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder.” As reported in the September 2023 issue of Real Simple magazine, he and his colleagues found that awe is very good for you. It results in:

• Improved concentration
• More rigorous thinking
• Better community connection
• Relief of depression and anxiety
• Less inflammation in our bodies

Transformative awe produces lasting changes in people. More than 20 percent said the experience changed their connection with God, the white paper said. Awe also created a small-self effect, humility and a sense of connection with other people. Studies also show an inverse relationship between awe and materialism.

Ways To Increase Awe in Your Life

I’ve found that increasing the level of awe in my life helps to build my relationship with God. I learn more about the reality of God, which changes my own reality.

Keltner had suggestions for increasing the level of awe in our lives. I’m amending those ideas for Christians who already practice the presence of God using mindfulness and contemplation. For us, God is everywhere … from nature to music, from wisdom to morality. We can incorporate any of these ideas into our rules of life to bring in more opportunities for awe.

• Volunteer your time to help others.
• Listen to praise music as you get ready each morning.
• Explore the psalms and other Scripture glorifying God through fixed hour prayer.
• Enjoy walking meditation or forest bathing (Keltner calls it an awe walk).

Keitner’s team also prescribed “microdosing mindfulness.” As many of us practice mindfulness on a near-continual basis, this should be easy. We just do as we always do.

• Pay complete attention to what you see or do.
• Invite God into the situation.
• Love the people in front of you.
• Praise God for His awesomeness in the situation.

Because awe is in decline in many church experiences, we can create our own moments of awe. With our help, we may be able to spread this attitude of reverence back to our Christian community.