Psalm 47

Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
² For the Lord Most High is awesome;
He is a great King over all the earth.
³ He will subdue the peoples under us,
And the nations under our feet.
⁴ He will choose our inheritance for us,
The excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah

⁵ God has gone up with a shout,
The Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
⁶ Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
⁷ For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with understanding.

⁸ God reigns over the nations;
God sits on His holy throne.
⁹ The princes of the people have gathered together,
The people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted.

For the Lord Most High is awesome

He certainly is. I was thinking about the word awesome while I was reading this. I mean, I think lots of things are “awesome.”

Awesome, c.1600, "profoundly reverential," from awe + -some.

So, we should be revering God profoundly. But, then we have to have a discussion on what “reverence” is. You know, the dictionary can be quite circular sometimes: “a feeling of profound awe and respect and often love; veneration.” Don’t worry, the second definition is much more helpful: “an act showing respect, especially a bow or curtsy.” It makes sense; that is certainly something you should do for the God who “reigns over the nations.”

Awesome, meaning "inspiring awe" is from 1670s.

God does inspire awe, also known as “overwhelming wonder, admiration, respect, or dread.” He’s subduing people and giving out inheritances, not to mention the fact that the “princes of the people” are even gathering around Him.

Awesome, adjective synonymous with totally cool.

Just go with me on this one. We’ve got this God that should be reverenced and inspires feelings of dread. It sounds pretty scary. But, this same God takes care of our every need—“and if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you” (Luke 12:28, NLT). This same God knows and has a plan for each and every one of us—“before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5). This same God cares about us enough to send us Jesus so that we don’t have to pay for our sins—"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18).

Pretty awesome, indeed.