Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, & Do

Paul David Tripp has written an excellent book entitled, Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, & Do, that pushed me to look deep within and examine my life. It challenged me to look at what controls me and what affects my decisions. I devoured this book. Paul writes from a pastor’s heart. He is passionate and practical. He says that “Humans are hardwired for awe.” A review of his book states that “Our hearts are always captured by something—that’s how God made us. But sin threatens to distract us from the glory of our Creator. All too often, we stand in awe of everything but God…Uncovering the lies we believe about all the earthly things that promise us peace, life, and contentment, Paul Tripp redirects our gaze to God’s awe-inducing glory—showing how such a vision has the potential to impact our every thought, word, and deed.” Here are some of the key principles from the book.

1. Awe is everyone’s lifelong pursuit
2. God created an awesome world
3. God created you with an awe capacity
4. Where you look for awe will shape the direction of your life
5. Awe stimulates the greatest joys and deepest sorrows in all of us
6. Misplaced awe keeps us perennially dissatisfied
7. Every created awe is meant to point you to the Creator
8. Awesome stuff never satisfies

 So what is our problem? Awe problem in action

1. Your emotional life is always a window into what has captured your awe
2. Awe amnesia always leads to awe replacement (You reject God, you replace Him)
3. We replace the vertical awe with horizontal addiction
4. We quickly replace the awe of God with the awe of self
5. Only grace can give us back our awe of God again