We use the word awesome so casually now. A meal, a movie, a good parking spot, all awesome. Somewhere along the way the word lost its weight.
But when Daniel knelt to pray for a broken nation, he reached for that word and meant every ounce of it. He opened his mouth and called God great and awesome, trembling with reverence and hope.
This devotional invites you to rediscover the great and awesome God Daniel knew, the One who still keeps His promises to everyone who loves Him.
Stand in awe of God; let Him guard all that is yours.
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Great and Awesome God: Key Takeaway
- Our great and awesome God faithfully keeps His covenant with all who love Him.
Verse of the Day
And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments.
— Daniel 9:4 (NKJV)
Daniel prayed this while in exile, pleading for a nation that had wandered far from God. Yet he did not open with his request. He opened with worship, naming who God is before asking for anything.
He calls God great and awesome, words that mean majestic, mighty, and worthy of deep reverence. Then he adds the tender part: this same towering God keeps His covenant and mercy, His steadfast, loyal love.
Daniel grounds his hope in God’s character, not in Israel’s goodness. Because God keeps covenant with those who love Him and keep His commandments, Daniel can pray with confidence even in the darkest hour.
Key Explanations
- Great and awesome God: majestic, mighty, and worthy of deep reverence, far above all He has made.
- Keeps His covenant: God faithfully honors His promises; He never forgets or abandons His word.
- And mercy: His covenant flows with steadfast, loyal love, not cold obligation.
- Those who love Him: covenant blessing rests on hearts that love God and obey His commands.
Great and Awesome God: A Reflection
It is easy to shrink God down to a manageable size, a helper we call on when convenient and forget when things are fine.
Daniel refused to do that. He knew the great and awesome God, and that knowledge shaped everything, especially how he prayed.
Remember the three young men in this same book of Daniel. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood before a blazing furnace because they would not bow to a golden image.
They loved God and kept His commandment, whatever the cost. And the great and awesome God met them in the flames, walking with them in the fire so that not even the smell of smoke clung to their clothes.
Beloved, that is what it looks like when the God who keeps covenant shows His mercy to those who love Him.
Deuteronomy 7:9 says the Lord is the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.
That promise is for you. When you honor God and obey Him, you are not serving a distant deity. You are trusting a great and awesome God who binds Himself to you in steadfast love.
So how do you live under a God this big?
- You worship before you worry. You let awe reset your fears, remembering that the One who holds galaxies also holds you. Learn to stand in awe of His majesty, to praise Him as an awesome Lord, and to rest in His steadfast love that never fails.
Come to the great and awesome God today, not shrinking back, but drawing near.
Blessings…!
Do This Today
- Before you bring God a single request today, spend a few minutes simply worshipping Him for how great and awesome He is.
Your Affirmation for Today
- I serve a great and awesome God who keeps covenant with me; I love Him, obey Him, and rest in His mercy.
Prayer Point for Today
- Worship First: ask God to restore your sense of awe, so reverence, not fear, becomes the foundation of every prayer you bring Him.
Let’s pray
Our Father, great and awesome God, thank You for keeping Your covenant and mercy with me. Teach me to love You, obey You, and stand in awe of who You are.
In the precious and mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
My prayer for you today: I pray that your eyes are opened to how great and awesome God truly is, that His covenant mercy steadies your heart, and that awe drives out your fear.
The God who keeps watch never slumbers over those He loves.
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