I blame pop culture for redefining “awesome.” Today, we use “awesome” to describe a delicious burger.
Is a burger truly “awesome?” Let’s revisit Merriam Webster’s definition of awesome: “an emotion variously combining dread, veneration, and wonder that is inspired by authority or by the sacred or sublime <stood in awe of the king> <regard nature’s wonders with awe>.”
In general, when one is in awe, one is rendered speechless, stunned, shocked. Veneration implies worship. Did that burger render one speechless? I seriously doubt that. I wouldn’t want to worship the cook of that burger either.
In the Bible, there are several events that point to God’s awesomeness. The Old Testament is jampacked with miracles; the New Testament is full of testimonies to how God inspires awe and reverence. I can’t even begin to imagine what will happen when Christ comes back.
“So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west,
and his glory from the rising of the sun;
for he will come like a rushing stream,
which the wind of the LORD drives.
And he will come to Zion as Redeemer,
to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,”
says the LORD.Isaiah 59:19,20 RSV
“Awesome” deserves to describe something that is truly “awesome.” The way I see it, a delicious burger, not matter how incredible it is, is only the tip of the “awesome” iceberg.
