Reading The Bible With Rabbi Jesus By Lois TverbergShembull

Day Six: Reclaiming Awe

As technology gives us more glimpses into the universe beyond us, you’d think we’d be dumbfounded with awe at how small we are. But our smallness is not something we spend much time pondering nowadays.

Our sense of our own “bigness” comes from our Western perspective. Greek- thinking Westerners read their Bible with an enormous sense of self, as if humans are capable of systematically predicting the thoughts and actions of a Being infinitely greater than them.

By contrast, a sense of smallness was at the very core of Israel’s consciousness of God. The psalms and prophecies overflow with imagery of the tininess of humanity and God’s utter magnificence in comparison. 

When Westerners open Genesis, we struggle with the Bible’s lack of proof that God exists. But in the biblical world, this wasn’t a question on anyone’s mind. From the perspective of the ancients, it was simply inconceivable that a puny human brain could be the ultimate source of God’s existence. 

How can we regain a sense of awe for God? We can read the psalms and meditate on this biblical way of looking at the world. We can also pray, which at its heart is an admission of our smallness. Indeed, praying is an enactment of smallness, of assuming that we are not sufficient in ourselves and that a loving God is present and listening to our worries and concerns. 

Christians can learn from a Jewish style of prayer that goes back to the time of Christ, that of “blessing the Lord” for every good thing. For millennia, the tradition has been to pepper one’s day with numerous short prayers of praise to God. 

For example, when you hear thunder, you say, “Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, whose strength and power fill the world.” 

When you put on a new piece of clothing you say, “Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who clothes the naked.” 

When you peel an orange, you say, “Blessed are you . . . who gives a pleasant smell to fruit.” 

It’s impossible to not feel a sense of awe and gratitude when you continually remind yourself of God’s presence and loving care. 

Meditate on Psalm 104, picturing the imagery of the natural world from the perspective of a person in biblical times. What is most awe-inspiring in this psalm?