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Wonder
On our podcast and broadcast, we have begun a series on the power of wonder! Originally a theological term for God, the idea of wonder has become badly reduced. In this study we train ourselves to recapture the power of awe. Living in the wonder of God really does make all the difference, and our team is praying you and I increasingly live in wonder.
To assist with that, we have included below my preparation notes for the series.
God bless,
Wayne
Theme of the study: Reverence and awe are required for a life well lived. In fact, scripture unequivocally declares that reverence for the wonderfulness of God is necessary to fulfill our earthly mission. Therefore, God graciously invites us to join Him in a life of wonder.
Statements of the theme: Hebrews 1228 Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. CSB
Thankfulness for God’s grace and mercy empowers us with reverence and awe. The responses pointed out in Hebrews 12:28 – reverence and awe – are prerequisites for serving God acceptably. The words are telling, as each is rare in NT usage. εὐλαβείας eulabeias [reverence] is a favorite of Aristotle’s. It is often translated “circumspect,” “cautious,” or “conscientious.” The idea is that one acts differently because one is wowed by majesty. δέους deous [awe] is originally a term for fetters, used most often of prisoners of war. It appears to have become synonymous for that frozen feeling one has when viewing something magnificent or shocking. – WB
Standing still, in awe, wonder and appreciation, I am humbled by the wonder of the wind of His lovely Spirit who has moved upon my spirit and will all these years. What noble hope He gives to us who walk with Him! – W. Phillip Keller, Wonder o’ the Wind, 243.
Breakdown of the theme:
- The command to wonder moves us beyond self & the temporal.
- The wonder of God moves us into right relation with God & builds that relationship.
- The wonder of the world & word guides to deeper understanding.
- The wonder of the church & its calling elicits a whole new way of living.
Premise: People greatly struggle to enjoy the power of wonder. In our modern pretense of maturity, being full of wonder seems naïve or even foolish. We pretend to understand things that we do not. We refuse to research and learn with childlike joy, settling for media headlines instead. Worst of all, we separate the God of wonders from His creation, dividing truth into a false dichotomy of objective and spiritual. This renders us incapable of enjoying the wonder in created objects and unappreciative of the objective nature of spiritual realities. In summary, without wonder we cannot walk by the Spirit; we are reduced to reliance upon our flesh.
The solution is for us to re-engage with the fullness of awe that first brought us to a relationship with God through Jesus. By nurturing our sense of wonder, we get back on the path of growth God prepares for us. Such is the idea in Paul’s excoriation of the Galatian Christians in Galatians 3: 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh? 4 Did you experience so much for nothing—if in fact it was for nothing? 5 So then, does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law? Or is it by believing what you heard —6 just like Abraham who believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness? [Gen 15] CSB
Statement of the premise: Luke 1817 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” CSB
Don’t you realize how many questions children ask? Jesus is calling us to wonder. – Francis Schaeffer in a discussion at L’Abri, 1986
Son, I have never gotten over the wonder that God loves me – an idiotic wretch like me. I pray you never get over it either. – Dr. Sumner Wemp to Wayne Braudrick
Objective: That we learn and practice the power of awe.
Statement of the objective: – Habakkuk 1
5 “Look among the nations, and see;
wonder and be astounded.
For I am doing a work in your days
that you would not believe if told.” ESV
Malachi 2 5 “My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave these to him [Levi]; it called for reverence, and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. 6 True instruction was in his mouth, and nothing wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and integrity and turned many from iniquity.” CSB
Kepler spoke gratefully of the minor mismatch in Mars’ orbit as a “gift from God” because it spurred his greatest scientific breakthrough. The chief aim of science, he said, is “to discover the rational order and harmony which has been imposed on it by God.” – Morris Kline, Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty, 34 [quoted in Pearcey, 126]