⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 2 min read
The human heart is always seeking after satisfaction. To this end, people invest their lives in sports, entertainment, and their careers—seeking for meaning, purpose, and for validation. While doing one’s job with excellence is important as is having hobbies, above all of that is the threat that we make these things in our lives ultimate things instead of setting them in the light of God’s sovereignty. Since we’re all creatures who are worshipping something or someone, we need to have our lives reoriented around a vision of the glory of God. This is why I enjoyed Awe: Why It Matters For Everything We Think, Say, and Do by Paul David Tripp.
This book in thirteen chapters looks at humanity, war, ministry, replacement, amnesia, transgressions, complaint, materialism, growth, worldview, church, parenting, and work. The most interesting chapters to me were on ministry, growth, church, and worldview.
In chapter three on ministry, Tripp notes, “We minister to people who are hardwired for awe, who have lost their awe, and who need awe given back to them again, so that they will not only live in awe of god but will pass that awe down to the generation that follows. Think about it” (46). He also notes, “Awe of God puts you in your place in ministry, and it will keep you there. Once you know who God is and rightly assess who you are, you will be able to minister with humility, hope, and courage” (49).
Chapter eleven on worldview was particularly helpful here, Tripp notes, “Isaiah 40 is not comfort literature; it’s worldview literature. These words only provide comfort because of the radical, amazing, awe-inspiring, worldview that they put forth. When you begin to understand, believe, and live in light of the awesome glory that Isaiah 40 reveals, you have reason to be comforted no matter what you happen to be facing at the moment” (136).
Awe: Why It Matters For Everything We Think Say, and Do is a very helpful book that will help every Christian to orient their lives around what truly matters, God and living for His glory. This comprehensive examination that this book provides will help you to explore your life from God’s perspective and stir your affections for the gospel. I recommend this book and believe that by reading it, you’ll be blessed, challenged, and equipped to worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth.
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah, and lives in beautiful Southern Oregon. He is a writer, editor, and speaker who loves Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology.
Dave serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He is the Host and Producer of the Equipping You in Grace Podcast and a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word.
He is the author of The War of Worldviews: Truth, Lies, and the Battle for the Christian Mind (Theology for Life, 2026), Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age and The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021).
You can connect with Dave on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his newsletter.
When he is not engaged in ministry work, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, going to movies, sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, or playing a round of golf with friends. He is also a voracious reader, particularly of Reformed theology and the Puritans, and is often found working through a stack of new books from a wide range of Christian publishers.
Dave earned his M.A.R. and M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
