Ravi Zacharias
When the shepherds found Mary and Joseph and Jesus lying in a manger they went and told everyone they saw. Over and over, they shared the Good News of what they had witnessed. Excitement flooded their hearts as they recounted every detail of the Newborn Child. And then, Luke tells us that "all who heard it were astonished and wondered at what the shepherds told them" (Luke 2:18).
Wonder overflowed in every person that witnessed any aspect of Jesus' birth. Merriam Webs9ter defines wonder as "a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable; desire or curiosity to know something; to feel admiration and amazement; marvel; rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one's experience".
Our lives and world are filled with wonder. Truly, they are all around, and yet, I wonder how many of them miss our notice. G.K. Chesterton says, "The world will never starve for want of wonders, but for want of wonder."
Often, familiarity can rob us of the beauty and majesty that surrounds us. For example, if Springtime only occurred every fifty years, how much more intently would we pay attention to it? E.B. White, the author of Charlotte's Web said, "We must always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder."
Yet, there is a wonder that extends beyond the beauty and majesty of all that God has created. There is a holy wonder of who God is. Thomas Aquinas said that "wonder is the desire for knowledge." It is the amazement we feel when we really have an intimate relationship with Jesus.
Over time, it's easy for our flesh to lose our sense of anticipation and wonder. Think about a time in your life when things were new: a new school, a new job, a new marriage, etc. At first you are thrilled and your mind races with possibilities of the future. After awhile, when the homework piles up or the deadline looms or your spouse snores really loudly... You get the picture.
As believers, we can do the same thing. When we first accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are excited and jubilant. We tell everyone who will stand still long enough to listen. Yet, over time, where does that astonishment, attention, and curiosity go?
I believe intentionality is required. A few weeks ago, my family and I had the joy of visiting our son in Arizona for Thanksgiving and seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time. It was the first of the seven natural wonders of the world we have been able to see. We planned which day to go, clothes to wear (because it was very cold), times to leave, etc. As a result of our intentionality, we all stood amazed at the beauty of it instead of being distracted by lesser important things.
The psalmist, David, said, "I will cry out to the God of heaven who does such wonders for me" (Psalm 57:2). David said this as he was fleeing from Saul and hiding out in a cave. He was intentional about discovering the wonders of God and not allowing anything or anyone to stand in is way. This is holy wonder.
Holy wonder will lead us to grateful worship and heartfelt thanksgiving. We will watch and we will be astonished. Our astonishment will extend beyond the created to the Creator. We will once again marvel at the manger and at the cross and we will see our Savior. Not a replica of who He is but the authentic version of a majestic God. We will join the angels at worshipping at the throne and we will wonder at the marvelous works of our Lord.
Edward Young, an English poet, said, "Wonder is involuntary praise". Our spirit rises within us to worship God as "The Wonderful One". Appreciation for redemption and grace percolates because we now can truly see the miracles that they are.
We will remember His wonders because "He has made His wonders to be remembered" (Psalm 111:4). There is power in remembrance that generates love and adoration. We not only remember the things God has done for us, but also the mercies we have received and the blessings He so generously gave that overflowed with His goodness.
Remembering means so much more than just recounting our past. It also means that we remember that God is present with us now (Immanuel) and is moving in our lives today. We live with the expectation of both seeing God and seeing Him move on our behalf.
Passions can be refueled and enthusiasm can brim within. Awe and wonder become the norm as we daily search for Him in everything. Again, David explained his daily awe by exclaiming, "I will extol You, my God and King, and bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You and praise Your name forever and ever" (Psalm 145:1-2).
We remind ourselves that He is the God of Wonder. He is Wonderful. He floods our world with Himself; He floods our world with wonders.
The most awestruck people in the world should be believers in Christ. The Orthodox Jew prays three times a day "We thank Thee for Thy miracles which are daily with us, for Thy continued marvels" and they do not even know Jesus. Every night they declare that God "does great things past finding out, marvelous things without number" (Job 9:10). If they can praise God with wonder daily, how much more should those who actually know Jesus?
We are now in a season that remembers the birth of Christ. May we also remember His resurrection and all the other wonders He has done? May we believe that He is doing wonders now. May we regenerate our sense of excitement, like the children do, and know that this is the Season of Wonder!
"The Lord replied, 'Look among the nations! See! Be astonished! Wonder! For I am doing something in your days--You would not believe it if you were told." (Habakkuk 1:5)
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