Awe

Brian of watching and waiting posted the following comment on my Centurion Faith post:

The fear of the Lord is such a misunderstood phrase. I think the more we understand the love of God, the more deeply we will fear him. Awe is a better translation of the word than fear. The more clearly we see who He is, the more we will love Him in return, and the greater our awe will become. The host of heaven fall before Him in unspeakable awe, declaring His worthiness, His holiness, His great power. Leonard Ravenhill said that the highest form of worship is speechless adoration. That is the fear of the Lord, and I want to experience it more and more.

It reminded me of an experience that Isaiah had:

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Master sitting on a throne--high, exalted!--and the train of his robes filled the Temple. Angel-seraphs hovered above him, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two their feet, and with two they flew." And they called back and forth one to the other, Holy, Holy, Holy is GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies. His bright glory fills the whole earth. The foundations trembled at the sound of the angel voices, and then the whole house filled with smoke. I said, "Doom! It's Doomsday! I'm as good as dead! Every word I've ever spoken is tainted-- blasphemous even! And the people I live with talk the same way, using words that corrupt and desecrate. And here I've looked God in the face! The King! GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies!" Then one of the angel-seraphs flew to me. He held a live coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with the coal and said, "Look. This coal has touched your lips. Gone your guilt, your sins wiped out." And then I heard the voice of the Master: "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" I spoke up, "I'll go. Send me!"
(Isaiah 6:1-8 The Message)

I guess you could conclude from Isaiah's account that awe is the result of being in God's presence ... awe that convicts us about our language ... awe that leads to confession and forgiveness ... awe that results in change ... awe that answers God's call.