God of Wonders

Posted On April 3, 2022

“Let all people stand in awe of the Eternal;
let every man, woman, and child live in wonder of Him.”

Psalm 33:8 VOICE

“Happy the soul that has been awed by a view of God’s majesty.”

A. W. Pink

I just made a quick weekend trip out of town with my husband and younger daughter that included shopping at our favorite bookstore. As I browsed the Christian section, hoping to find something to stimulate my imagination for future blog posts, a book called God of Wonders by Faith Blatchford caught my eye. The starry night sky on the cover and the subtitle 40 Days of Awe in the Presence of God intrigued me. As I flipped through the pages, I saw 40 devotionals based on Scripture passages about the awe of encountering God. And every one of them included a quote about wonder. Perfect inspiration for a blog called Wondertakings! This week I have included several quotes from her book as well as others that have encouraged me. I guess you could say I have been thoroughly inspired! I hope you enjoy celebrating the God of Wonders with me…

“The surest way to suppress our ability to understand the meaning of God and the importance of worship is to take things for granted. Indifference to the sublime wonder of living is the root of sin.”

Abraham Heschel

“There is a voice of wonder and amazement inside all of us; but we grow to realize we can no longer hear it, and we live in silence. It isn’t that God stopped speaking; it is that our lives became louder.”

Mike Yaconelli

Scripture encourages us to live in wonder of God (Psalm 33:8) and to fix our eyes on what is unseen (2 Corinthians 4:18). Why? Because doing so helps us remember that this broken world is not our final home. Focusing on God and His Kingdom strengthens us, gives us hope, and reminds us that we are not alone. The best parts of this world give us small glimpses of the world to come, and I believe God wants us to dwell on these things.

I went for a walk one evening shortly after we moved into our new house by the lake. I stepped out of my driveway and turned to start walking down the street. When I looked up, the sight of the sunset over the water took my breath away! I stopped for a minute and just stared in awe and thanksgiving, overcome by the beauty of God’s creation. You’ve probably had a similar experience. I think God gives us these moments of wonder to remind us of His presence and of our future home with Him.

“When I anticipate what my first glimpse of Heaven will be like, I remember the first time I went snorkeling. Etched in my memory is a certain sound, one that startled me several times, causing me to look all around me. Then I realized what it was: the sound of my own gasp going through the snorkel as I marveled at the sights. I imagine our first glimpse of Heaven will cause us to similarly gasp in amazement and delight. That first gasp will likely be followed by many more as we encounter new sights in that endlessly wonderful place.”
Randy Alcorn, Seeing the Unseen

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,
since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

“Let me assure you, if you are seeking God and are prepared to obey Him,
He will move heaven and earth to show you His will.”

Charles F. Stanley

When we open ourselves up to experiencing the wonders of God, it’s amazing what we will discover. He has spoken to me in many ways, and each time I am completely blown away! As I was gathering material for this post, I remembered a story Charles F. Stanley told from his own life. I want to share it because it serves as a perfect example of how the God of Wonders works in our lives:

“I recall a particularly difficult season during my senior year at the University of Richmond. Everything seemed to be going wrong, and I was completely miserable. . . . I was desperate to know God’s plan and purpose for my life, but I felt as if He had completely walked out on me — as if He were gone. At one point, the pressure grew so great and my struggle so intense, I went to see my prayer partners. On my way, I said, ‘Father, I’ve got to be absolutely sure what Your will is for me. . . . God, please do something — my whole future is based on You. Please clarify this question in my mind and show me exactly what to do.'”
Charles F. Stanley, Prayer: The Ultimate Conversation

Can you relate to this? I sure can. I’ve been there — confused about my life, desperate for answers, and crying out to God. I had reached the end of my own wisdom and strength, so I begged for Him to show me what to do. It was comforting to know that I wasn’t the only one. If you’ve ever felt this way, too, read on…

“Then the Lord brought to mind something my grandfather George Washington Stanley had told me. He had gone through a similar time in his life when he was confused and seeking God’s guidance about whether to preach. . . . Granddad said he got down on his knees and asked the Father to show him what to do. Then he got specific. He said, ‘Lord, if You are calling me to preach the gospel, let me see two falling stars.’ Sure enough, he looked up and saw two bright lights streaming across the night sky.

“I thought, If Granddad asked God for something that specific and the Lord answered, then maybe He will do the same for me. . . . So I prayed, God, I know I don’t have any business asking You this, but if this is Your will for my life — if this is really what You’re calling me to do — please let me see two falling stars like my grandfather did. A couple of evenings later, I looked up and saw two brilliant meteors shooting across the night sky at the same time. It was as if the Lord said to me, ‘You asked Me, and I’ve answered your prayer.’ I fell on my face and thanked Him with all my heart.

“If the Father had not spoken to me in such a powerful way, I would have given up, and the course of my life would have been altered completely. But I can say for certain that not once since then have I ever doubted His call.”
Charles F. Stanley, Prayer: The Ultimate Conversation

Dr. Stanley’s story is incredible, but you may be wondering if God will really speak to the rest of us in such a dramatic way. I’m no expert, and God hasn’t spoken to me through falling stars, but He has spoken to me in ways that were just as mind-blowing! I believe He is speaking to all of us in amazing ways all the time — we just have to be willing to listen!

“Likewise, the Lord is speaking to you. The Father is drawing you into a conversation, speaking to you about His plans for your life, revealing Himself to you, and confirming what He would like to do in and through you.”

Charles F. Stanley, Prayer: The Ultimate Conversation

“As we wait and pray, God weaves His story and creates a wonder.
We are learning to watch for the story to unfold to wait for the wonder.”

Paul E. Miller

The first devotional in Faith Blatchford’s God of Wonders is based on the following Scripture passage:

“Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.’ And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.”
Revelation 4:1-6 NLT

John was in exile on the island of Patmos when he received the vision that became the book of Revelation. Cut off from his family and friends because of his faith, his life on Patmos was probably difficult and lonely. Suddenly, he hears a voice from heaven offering to show him amazing wonders.

“‘Come up here.’ Did John wonder if he was hallucinating? . . . John may have had several moments of awe. Any time a human hears an audible voice from heaven is a life-changing experience. It is possible the greatest impact came when he returned from heaven to earth, to his prison on Patmos. When we encounter God and His glory, our perspective changes. We will think differently about our life, our surroundings and our problems. Did John look out at the Aegean Sea separating him from his family, and remember his Father’s house on the sea of glass? Although he was far from his earthly family, he was close to his Father in heaven. . . . When we encounter the heavenly realm, our perspectives will change even if our circumstances do not.”
Faith Blatchford, God of Wonders

We, too, can feel trapped by our circumstances. But Faith Blatchford challenges us to think about how a vision of heaven could change our view of our earthly lives. When God speaks to us, when we encounter His presence, when we focus on His Kingdom, we are changed by the experience. Philippians 4:8 encourages us to think about things that are lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy. So let’s make this a priority. God displays His loving nature through the beauty that surrounds us. This world is broken, but it is still full of wondrous things and amazing people. Let’s celebrate them! Let’s learn to quiet the noise of the negative thoughts that constantly threaten to steal our joy and peace so that we can hear the beautiful voice of our Father. And let’s develop an eternal perspective so that we can learn to see the wonder all around us.

“Let your soul lose itself in wonder, for wonder is in this way a very practical emotion. Holy wonder will lead you to grateful worship and heartfelt thanksgiving.”

Charles Spurgeon

This week’s Scripture passages focus on the awe and wonder of our God. As we spend time in His presence, we learn to hear His voice and we begin to see things the way He does. We learn to fix our eyes on the unseen realm of His Kingdom, and we begin to view everything in light of eternity. And then we can’t help but worship Him!

“Day and night they never stop saying:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”

Revelation 4:8 NIV

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;
for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.'”

1 Peter 1:15-16 NIV

References:

• Alcorn, Randy. Seeing the Unseen, Expanded Edition: A 90-Day Devotional to Set Your Mind on Eternity. Multnomah, 2017.
• Blatchford, Faith. God of Wonders: 40 Days of Awe in the Presence of God. Chosen Books, 2021.
• “God of Wonders – Third Day w/lyrics.” YouTube, uploaded by arescuedone, 1 April 2016, https://youtu.be/hGjdqthAJQ8.
• Stanley, Charles F. Prayer: The Ultimate Conversation. Howard Books, 2012.

Images:

• Galaxy featured image by Luminas Art from Pixabay
• Rock Formation image by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-standing-under-a-rock-formation-on-a-starry-night-33688/
• Tree image by Yuri_B from Pixabay
• Shooting Stars image by Alex Andrews from Pexels (edited)
• Clouds image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay
• Sea image by Frank Winkler from Pixabay (edited)