{"id":3140,"date":"2026-01-30T09:25:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T14:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lorihatcher.com\/?p=3140"},"modified":"2026-03-02T18:54:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T23:54:50","slug":"have-we-lost-our-holy-awe-of-god-how-to-reclaim-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lorihatcher.com\/?p=3140","title":{"rendered":"Have We Lost Our Holy Awe of God? How to Reclaim it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Greetings, Refresh Friends!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today I\u2019d like us to consider whether modern believers have lost a sense of holy awe toward God and how familiarity, comfort, and culture may dull our reverence. Today\u2019s post calls us back to a biblical understanding of the fear of the Lord and offers practical ways to reclaim wonder, humility, and worshipful obedience before a holy God. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for reading!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I remember the first time I saw Judge Frierson\u2019s* name on my appointment schedule. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cJUDGE Frierson?\u201d I asked. \u201cWhat kind of judge is he?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a federal appellate court justice based in Richmond,\u201d my boss replied. \u201cA Reagan appointee. He\u2019s one step below the Supreme Court.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when my hands started trembling,<\/strong> and my heart beat like a woodpecker on an apple tree. The thought of seating a federal appellate court justice in my treatment room and interacting with him for 45 minutes was intimidating, to say the least. After decades of practicing dental hygiene, I was fairly confidant of my ability to meet his dental needs, but the prospect of making small talk with someone who renders judgments on matters of constitutional law and helps chart the judicial course of our country was way out of my league. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 20 years since that day, however, I\u2019ve found Judge Frierson to be kind, funny, and easy to talk to. During one of his appointments, I discovered he likes ice cream as much as I do. As I\u2019ve gotten to know him (and reminded him to floss daily), I\u2019ve realized that he\u2019s just an ordinary person. While the thought of what he does for a living still intimidates me, I\u2019m no longer awed by him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another Type of Awe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I thought of my experience with the judge recently when I read about God\u2019s name, Yahweh. <\/strong>Translated by many as Jehovah, Yahweh (or, more correctly YHWH) is the primary and most glorious name of God. The best definition of YHWH is God the Self-Existing One. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

God identified himself as YHWH when Moses asked him, \u201cWhat shall I say to my brothers when they ask who sent me?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI AM WHO I AM,\u201d God said, \u201cThus you shall say to children of Israel, \u2018I AM has sent me to you\u201d (Ex. 3:14). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Did you know that Jewish scribes held the name of Yahweh in such high honor that as they copied Scripture, they\u2019d select a fresh quill before they penned the name? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And after they wrote YHWH, they would break the quill. They felt this particular name of God was so holy that the quill they had used to write it should never be used to pen ordinary, everyday words. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This reverence for God\u2019s name, YHWH, I AM THAT I AM, is also why the Jews tried to stone Jesus in John 8:58-59. “\u2019I tell you the truth,\u2019 Jesus answered, \u2018before Abraham was born, I am!\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this, they picked up stones to stone him.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The thought that anyone would even speak the name of Yahweh, let alone claim to be him was worthy of stoning in these devout Jews\u2019 minds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something Has Changed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Between then and now, however, something has drastically changed. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I\u2019m not talking about people who use God\u2019s name as a curse word or blaspheme God by their unbelief. I\u2019m talking about Christians. About me and about you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do we hold God\u2019s name in holy awe? <\/strong>Do we pause before we approach his Word or his house? Do we pray flippantly and casually or reverently and respectfully? Do we ponder, even for a second, that the God who\u2019s given us unlimited access to his presence is also the God who spoke the world into existence and holds our lives in his hands? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe, like me with my patient, Judge Frierson, we\u2019ve become so comfortable in our relationship with God that we\u2019ve lost the holy awe we once had for him. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must remember \u2013 God isn\u2019t our pal.<\/strong> He\u2019s not \u201cthe man upstairs.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s our Savior and our Lord. The Great I AM. The Self-Existing One who needs nothing from us, yet gives us everything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a privilege to come before him without fear. To sit at his feet and learn from him. To read his Words. To hear the still, small voice of his Spirit and feel the comfort of his presence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t think we need to throw away our pens every time we write God\u2019s name, but we can borrow a page from the ancient scribes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pause<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What if, the next time we speak his name, or come before him in prayer, or open his Word, we pause? <\/strong>Think about who we\u2019re approaching? Give him the honor due to his name? Then we\u2019d be better prepared to snuggle up close and have a talk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now it’s your turn.<\/strong> Do you think our Christian culture lacks reverence for God? How important is it? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 *The name is fictitious and the details have been altered, but the story is true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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May I ask a favor?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve read my most recent book, Lord, I Believe<\/a>, would you take a few minutes (less than 5, I promise) and leave a review on Amazon? Book reviews help other thoughtful readers find good books. I\u2019d be SO SO SO grateful. My goal is to reach 50 reviews, and we\u2019re only 15 away. Your review would bring me one step closer to my goal. Bless you! You\u2019re the BEST1<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CLICK HERE to leave a review<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Upcoming Speaking Events<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m so excited to be speaking to the women of Our Lady of the Hills Catholic Church in Columbia, SC on Valentine\u2019s Day! (How LOVEly is that?) and to the women of Crosspointe Church in Lexington, SC, on February 21. The Crosspointe event is open to the public. Mark it on your calendar if you live in the area and stay tuned for more details!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Do You Know Someone with a Strong Faith Who\u2019s Facing a Tough Situation?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Lord, I Believe<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you believe about God? Do you believe that He can restore? Or that He answers prayers? Do you believe that He delights in you?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you spend 60 days in these devotions, Lori Hatcher will reassure you of who God is and who He says you are. In each meditation, you\u2019ll find: <\/p>\n\n\n\n