You, LORD God, have done many wonderful things, and you have planned marvelous things for us. No one is like you! I would never be able to tell all you have done. (Psalm 40:5, CEV)
We all long for wonder. We hope to be awakened by something that is much bigger than ourselves. That’s why we stand in frustratingly long lines at the movie theater on a Friday night to see the next big blockbuster. It’s why so many young men stay up late playing video games, trying to reach the next challenging level.
We’re in search of adventure, waiting to be awed by an eye-opening, jaw-dropping experience.
One summer not too long ago, my wife, Shannon, and I were hiking just east of her hometown in Dallas, Oregon. We turned a narrow corner in the thick evergreens and stumbled upon one of the most gorgeous sites we’d ever experienced: a thundering waterfall waiting for us in the great wide open. In a place like this, you’d think tourists would be swarming to get the perfect picture for Instagram, but we looked around and realized we were all alone. The waterfall was massive and majestic; powerful, yet peaceful. We found out later the waterfall was named Sahalie Falls. Sahalie means “heaven,” and its beauty truly summoned the feeling of Heaven on Earth.
It’s in these moments we realize we were made for wonder; we long for it! Why is that? It seems every sunrise, starlit sky, or mountain-top adventure points our hearts to something bigger, deeper, and truer. Every deep longing for wonder is a cry for the Wonder-Working God who is reaching out to each of us–if only we had eyes to see it!
A.W. Tozer says, “Thirsty hearts are those whose longings have been wakened by the touch of God within them.”
This God is the One who worked His wonders through creation and redemption; the One who breathed life in us at the beginning, and the One who breathes new life in us now through His Son, Jesus. He’s a miracle-working God who can part the seas, heal the sick, and even raise the dead. Our God does wonderful things. May we stand in awe and wonder of Him!
