The Awe of Prayer

Introduction

As we examine prayer that is rooted in Scripture, we have come to see that prayer is not something people do as a pastime or just some aimless habit.

Prayer has purpose because God responds to and works through prayer. We have seen that when God’s people pray together, God gives wisdom.

As people of God, we are to be moved by God-given wisdom, not by urgency, impulse, or emotional reactions, we move by direction that is shaped by His Word.

Today we come to what prayer produces. Prayer that is practiced in community and offered in humble dependence does not leave God’s people unchanged.

It gives rise to something Scripture describes as AWE.

Awe is often associated with emotional intensity, novelty, or religious excitement. And though those may accompany awe, they are not the definition of biblical awe.

Biblical awe cannot be manufactured and it is not chased. Why? Because awe flows from God’s self-disclosure, His self-revelation not from human pursuit or human effort.

When awe is manufactured or pursued as an end, it produces a counterfeit that ultimately disappoints.

Awe is not the goal of prayer, it is the result of God revealing Himself. And that is something over which we have no control. Only God determines the time, manner, and measure in which He reveals Himself.

Many who identify as Christians today go to church in search of an experience, a feeling. But the early church in Acts 2 did not gather to pursue sensations or emotional highs.

They gathered in devotion. Acts 2 shows us that awe is not something we summon. It is something that God produces when His people live prayer-shaped lives.

When God’s people pray this way, they begin to see more clearly who God is and what He has done. Apart from this, His work often remains invisible to the natural eye.

So today we are not asking God to give us feelings, no tingling sensations, though those are certainly possible. We are asking God to open our eyes that we may be

awakened to the wonder of His presence, the power of His work, and the beauty of His purposes among His people.

Last week, we saw Peter stand after days of prayer and rightly interpret Scripture. He addressed the 120 gathered in the upper room, and Matthias was selected to replace Judas.

After this, the Spirit came upon them, and they spoke of the mighty works of God in languages they had not learned, before visitors from many nations.

Peter then preaches his first sermon explaining what was happening according to Scripture and proclaiming the gospel.

Those who received it were baptized, and about 3,000 were added to the original 120. We now pick up the narrative here as we consider our 1st point:

I. Awe Grows Through God’s Ordinary Means of Grace (v. 42)

So the church did not gather for the sake of an experience, or some feel good moment to fuel their week.

Before Luke ever mentions awe, he tells us what shaped their life together.

Acts 2:42 LSB

42 And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.

Notice the word, continually, “proskartereō”. It means to continue steadfastly in, to perseveres in, to hold fast to.

The phrase ‘they were devoting themselves to’ is also translated ‘they spent their time, met constantly to’.

It means that they continued to do something with intensity, with the possible implication of doing so despite difficulty.

It means to persist in doing. Luke identifies the four doings or the four devotions that marked the early church.

1. the apostle’s teaching

2. Fellowship

3. the breaking of bread

4. prayers

These are not spectacular activities. There is nothing flashy or spectacular about this. It is so ordinary that most people miss it. God is known for this kind of thing.

Think about Naaman. OT commander of the Syrian army. He needed a blessing from the Lord. He had leprosy and went to the prophet Elisha asking for a miracle

2 Kings 5:10–11 LSB

10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.” 11 But Naaman was furious and went away and said, “Behold, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of Yahweh his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’

He went away in a rage and almost missed what God had for him. Why? because he was chasing after an experience and could not accept a God what would work through ordinary means.

Yet it is precisely through these ordinary, God-ordained means that extraordinary awe begins to take shape.

After being persuaded by a servant, Naaman dipped into the Jordan 7 times and found both mercy and grace. So Let us examine these ordinary means one by one.

1. Devotion to the Apostle’s Teaching

This refers to the authoritative instruction of those who were eyewitnesses of the risen Christ. This is what we do at the Bridge week in and week out,

We devote ourselves to the apostles’ teachings. A church devoted to Scripture is a church that is positioned for awe. Because awe grows when God is rightly known.

Scripture consistently ties awe to the knowledge of God’s truth:

“The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).

Biblical awe begins with revelation, not sensation. When God reveals who He is through His Word, believers experience reverent wonder.

2. Devotion to Fellowship

This is not merely the men going bowling or the ladies having afternoon tea. Although these can come out of real fellowship which is, sharing life under the lordship of Christ.

This is spiritual partnership rooted in a common confession and shared submission to Christ.

When God’s people live transparently, bear burdens together, confess sin together, and rejoice together, they begin to see God’s work more clearly.

Isolation dulls awe, while biblical community sharpens it. Many of you are aware of my family’s ordeal in moving. One brother texted me:

“just want to encourage you brother in what I'm sure is a trying time. Imagine the glory that God will gain once you get through all of this though!!!!! To have endured well, to have trusted, your congregation is watching, and I will tell you personally, to watch you walk through this turmoil with your hands still lifted , is extremely encouraging. Love you brother, and praying for you. (Sent up another one right now)”

Proverbs 27:17 LSB

17 Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.

A church that forgets Christ will chase after experiences. A Church that continually grows in their knowledge of Christ will grow in awe.

3. Devotion to Breaking Bread

This likely includes both ordinary meals and the Lord’s Supper. Either way, it reflects a people who remember Christ together.

The breaking of bread anchors awe in redemption.

Awe grows when God’s people continually return to the cross, when they remember that salvation was accomplished by Christ for them.

Jesus said, this do in remembrance of me> Paul recapitulates this way:

Galatians 6:14 LSB

14 But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

The hymn writer Isaac Watts penned the following words in 1707:

“When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died. My richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.

Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

The church that remembers Christ, stays in awe.

4. Devotion to Prayers

Notice that Luke does not say prayer but prayers. This points to structured, corporate prayer shaped by Scripture and dependence.

Prayer is the posture that keeps God’s people aware of their need. And awareness of need is fertile ground for awe. Self-sufficiency kills wonder; dependence restores it.

“The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” (James 5:16)

This devotion to prayer reinforces what we have already seen in Acts 1: prayer shapes how God’s people see reality.

II Awe Overwhelms God’s People When God Acts Powerfully Among Them (v. 43)

Acts 2:43 LSB

43 And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.

At the time, at the moment, and in the manner of His choosing, the Lord began to move powerfully among them. In essence, this is the result of a church devoted to God’s ordinary means.

There is no sensationalism, or entertainment, or emotionalism, the result is fear upon every soul. Do not misunderstand emotion is absolutely present.

The end of the passage speaks of joy and gladness. Emotion accompanies God’s work, but it does not direct it.

The word translated “fear” here is phobos. In this context, it does not describe terror or panic, but reverent awe—a deep awareness that God is present, active, and not to be treated lightly.

This awe does not arise because the people are seeking an experience. It overwhelms them because God is acting.

Awe did not come as a result of a feeling, it came as a result of an action taken by God

“many wonders and signs were taking place.”

Awe is the response, not the cause.

And just as important—these signs are not happening through everyone. Luke is precise: “through the apostles.”

This protects us from confusion. The wonders and signs in Acts 2 are not random, uncontrolled spiritual phenomena.

They are apostolic signs, confirming the authority of the message and the messengers Christ Himself appointed.

Scripture consistently connects signs and wonders with God’s redemptive work and revelation, not human spectacle:

Hebrews 2:4 LSB

4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.

You and I don’t run things, neither did the apostles or the firs century church. The Lord moves according to his will, not human desire.

Yet it is in our nature to chase the spectacular, to want God to perform for our amusement. Scripture warns us against this:

Luke 23:8 LSB

8 Now when Herod saw Jesus, he rejoiced greatly; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him.

The Lord will never exist to cure our boredom or satisfy our fleshly curiosity.

Even after Jesus fed the crowds, many followed Him not because they understood the sign, but because they had eaten and were filled.

The power is God’s, the timing is God’s. The purpose is God’s

And the response of the people is not chaos, but reverent awareness:

“fear came upon every soul”

The church in Acts 2 was not asking for signs. They were devoting themselves to prayer, Scripture, fellowship, and remembrance.

God, in His sovereign wisdom, chose to act powerfully—and awe followed. If God acts powerfully and we are not moved to awe, something is wrong with us—not with God.

And, if we attempt to manufacture awe without God’s action, we will end up with emotionalism rather than reverence.

Biblical awe is not emotional hype—it is spiritual clarity. It is the soul recognizing that God is at work, and we are not in control.

When God’s people truly see Him act—whether through conversion, conviction, repentance, unity, or growth in holiness—awe overwhelms them.

And when awe overwhelms a church, it becomes very difficult to treat worship, prayer, or obedience casually.

III. Awe Reshapes the Life and Witness of God’s People (vv. 44–47)

Acts 2:44–47 LSB

44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were dividing them up with all, as anyone might have need. 46 And daily devoting themselves with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number daily those who were being saved.

Take a look at what happens when awe takes root in the life of the church:

1. Awe Produces Shared Life, Not Isolated Faith

“All those who had believed were together”

This is not a forced togetherness nor is it the loss of individuality. It is voluntary unity rooted in shared faith. Awe draws God’s people toward one another.

Biblical awe shatters the illusion of self-sufficiency. Through Shelley’s and my moving ordeal, God’s people were drawn toward us—and we needed them.

Any illusion of independence was quickly dismantled as we watched the Spirit move in the hearts of others.

When God is seen clearly. His people no longer pretend they belong to themselves.

“For just as the body is one and yet has many members… so also is Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12)

Paul goes on in that passage to affirm both distinctiveness and unity. Many members, one body.

2. Awe Produces Generosity, Not Coercion

“They had all things in common...selling their property and possessions”

This is not early socialism, nor is it a command for every church in every age to liquidate assets. Luke describes a free, Spirit-produced response, not a legislated program.

The text does not say they were told to give—it shows they wanted to give. Awe loosens the grip on possessions because God has already captured the heart.

“God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7)

When God is treasured, stuff is demoted. This is not forced, you simply cannot serve two masters.

So the more you serve and love the Lord, the more possessions fade into the background

3. Awe Deepens Worship in Ordinary Rhythms of Life

“Daily devoting themselves… breaking bread from house to house”

There is a balance here between public worship and private fellowship.

Awe does not pull believers away from ordinary spaces—it fills ordinary spaces with sacred meaning. Homes become places of worship. Meals become moments of gratitude.

They ate with gladness and simplicity of heart.

this is not performative joy, but settled, sincere, unpretentious joy—the kind that flows from having peace with God and enjoyment of the peace of God.

4. Awe Produces Praise to God and God-Given Credibility

“Praising God and having favor with all the people”

Their worship was directed upward, not outward. Yet their lives were visibly compelling to those around them.

This is crucial: the church does not pursue cultural approval—but faithful living often earns respectful notice.

Matthew 5:16 LSB

16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Although faithfulness will often put believers at odds with the culture, it frequently produces quiet respect—and it certainly makes God’s people recognizable to one another for the glory of God.

5. Awe Results in God-Driven Growth, Not Human Strategy

“And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Luke is explicit. The growth is not attributed to technique, branding, or outreach strategy. The Lord is the one doing the adding.

Something John MacArthur said that has stuck with me concerning this very thing. He said,

“Early in my ministry I committed, before the Lord, that I would simply worry about the depth of my ministry, and I would let Him take care of the breadth of it.”

— John MacArthur

This keeps the church humble. Awe-shaped communities do not measure success by numbers alone—but God, in His mercy, often chooses to grow what He is clearly blessing.

The church does not grow because it chases awe. The church grows because it is living in reverent response to God.

Conclusion:

In Acts 2 we see the full picture:

God works through ordinary means

God acts with extraordinary power

God produces lasting transformation

Awe is not an even, it is a posture that reshapes how God’s people live together before Him and the world.

When prayer opens our eyes to who God is and what He has done, everything else begins to fall into place.