Are we losing our sense of “awe”? I find myself overwhelmed by rocketing gas prices, by the helplessness I feel as I pass a group of homeless men sleeping in the 99 cents store parking lot late at night, and the discontent I feel as I watch my two brothers debilitated by cancer…both with young families. Where is God? Does He care?

Worshipsenses Then I happened upon Don Saliers’ book, Worship Comes to Its Senses (Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1996), which makes me come to my senses, changing my vantage point, to God’s perspective. I realized that my problems were larger than life because I did not think "highly" of God, I had lost my sense of awe. In Matthew 9, some friends bring their paralyzed friend to see Jesus. Jesus said to the man, “Get up, take your mat and go home” (Matt. 9:6). Then in verse 7, the crowd was “filled with awe, and they praised God”. The crowd's view of God was enlarged! They praise God with awe.

Saliers encourages us to reconnect real life to the worship of the God of the Universe!

He accents Jaroslav Vajda’s new hymn “God of the Sparrow God of the Whale” which crosses generational lines and is a contemporary way to express to our awe in biblical tradition.  Lyrics after the jump...

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God of the sparrow God of the whaleGod_of_the_sparrow
    God of the swirling stars
    How does the creature say Awe
    How does the creature say Praise

God of the earthquake God of the storm
    God of the trumpet blast
    How does the creature cry Woe
    How does the creature cry Save

God of the rainbow God of the cross
    God of the empty grave
    How does the creature say Grace
    How does the creature say Thanks

God of the hungry God of the sick
    God of the prodigal
    How does the creature say Care
    How does the creature say Life

God of the neighbor God of the foe
    God of the pruning hook
    How does the creature say Love
    How does the creature say Peace

God of the ages God near at hand
    God of the loving heart
    How do your children say Joy
    How do your children say Home

(C) 1989 Jaroslav Vajda, “God of the Sparrow God of the Whale”  Found in the United Methodist Hymnal, United Methodist Publishing House, Nashville, 1989, no. 122.

This hymn provides with us new images of God and yet stirs questions that we must ask. I may have questions that I have no answers for; still I cannot loose my sense of wonder and awe of God. Matt Redman said, “I love the cathedrals in England, because they make me look up and make me feel small.” I needed to reignite my sense of awe with Salier's book and this hymn. Vajdav helped me look up,feel small, with awe.