“May I never lose the wonder of Your presence…May I always stand in awe of who You are…”
(Song by Kari Jobe, Passion, and Rachel Halbach ‧ 2024)
What has caused you to pause and whisper “WOW”… how many times a day… per week…?? What has taken you by surprise lately, quickened in you a sense of wonder, a sense of awe? Yes, we have been cold, maybe colder than normal, but in the hoarfrost on our new bird feeder, Jan 19 at 8:30am I just had to stop and stare, zoom in! Yes, we had been able to see some amazing colorful birds at the feeder, but this made me want to turn the camera around to capture the moment before the morning sun melted the delicate ice crystals. Amazing! Wonder!
I was reminded recently: “Creation has a sacramental purpose: it reveals God.”
Romans reminds us… “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” (Rom. 1:20 NLT)
David would have us sing… “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.” (Ps. 19:1-2) But the question is, are we paying attention?
What tops your list of what fosters wonder?…
- The magnificent colors of the sunset,
- the glimmer of amazement in the eyes of a child looking at the stars or hearing an extraordinary story,
- the beginnings of buds on the trees as spring starts to break through,
- the skills of Olympic skiers and skaters, not to omit snowboarders,
- the work of the Father in the lives of folks far away or right next door
- the wonder of the cross of our Lord
- the simple thought that to “through Him and for Him all things were made and by Him all things hold together (Col. 1:16-17)…the list goes on.
Take time this week to stop and look at something right in front of you that causes wonder to well up. The simple promise of His Presence, those words, “I will be with you wherever you go!” all circle back around to a sense of awe that He is here. He is with us every day, in every way. May the God of wonder richly bless our thoughts, our words, our actions, and our motives as we live out the mandate of His mission in a dark world in need of the Message of hope.
