Learning To Wonder
Psalm 40:5 (NIV)
Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.
Living in Erdington and, therefore, on the flight path for planes landing at Birmingham International means that since we moved here two years ago, I can honestly say I have rediscovered my ability to wonder! The planes can often feel low enough to touch, and I love tracking where they’ve travelled from. What I equally love and feel frustrated by is none of my friends are in the slightest bit interested (I can’t understand why), and while they have got used to a pause in the conversation whenever a plane comes over, they don’t stare up at the sky with as much awe as I do. What I love about this is that it feels like my own little moment of delight every time a plane comes over. The beautiful thing about wonder is it can be both communal and personal. My family holidays regularly consist of watching the sunset over the beach, a time of sharing wonder together.
Wonder is not confined to size or impact; it is the pure and simple delight in the unpredictable, the unexplainable and the unimaginable. In complete contrast, wonder is none of these things to God. In fact, the Psalm tells us that the wonders of God are 'planned'. An illustration of God's intentionality and desire to give us the gift of wonder, not a spontaneous decision but a deliberate action; he longs for our lives to be full of wonder. It’s interesting that in the English language we have two main definitions of the word ‘wonder’. The first is a noun, a 'feeling of amazement' and the second is a verb, a 'desire to know something'. For me, these definitions are in complete contrast. Experiencing God-given wonder is not the desire to know, it’s the desire to not know, a surrendering to the unfamiliar and unfathomable.
Reflect - When were you last full of wonder? Ask the Holy Spirit to draw your attention to moments of wonder today.