January
13, 2013
The
Wonder and Mystery of our God-directed Lives
Today
is the 3rd
Anniversary of Minnie's Homegoing to be with the Lord. She is with
Him now and “in thy presence is
fulness of joy; at thy right hand there
are pleasures for
evermore.” Psalm
16:11; 17:15
Minnie
never lost her sense of
wonder at the goodness of
God and the intriguing fascination of God's works in Creation. She
herself was one of God's glorious works. She lived life with a
sense of expectancy and joy. And at the end [though
it was not the End, but the Beginning]
she told Jeannine and me, “I feel that God has given me so
much happiness in life! One of her favorite verses that she shared
with me often was Ephesians
3:20 “He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask
or think. . . .”
One
of the books she delighted in was Ravi Zacharias, Recapture
the Wonder—which
Minnie never lost! She was always so delighted in babies and little
children and their enthusiasm, which she shared. She loved to do
things for them and with them. And she laughed a lot as she took
pleasure in life. She told one of our granddaughters that even with
cancer she tried to take pleasure in the good of that day and enjoy
the company of whoever was with her that day.
Ravi
points out that to maintain our sense of wonder we need a
thankful spirit guided by truth.
And that truth is personal; it is personified in Jesus Himself who is
the Way, the Truth, and the Life. One of the marvelous names given
to Jesus 700 years before He was born was “Wonder” ! It comes
from that marvelous Christmas passage in Isaiah 9:6
“For
unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government
shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace.”
All
those names mean so much. This child who was to be born for us, sent
from God Himself, is Wonder.” In Hebrew the word is a noun instead
of an adjective, adding even additional strength to the meaning.
Isaiah uses the same Hebrew word used to describe the marvelous
wonders that God did in bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt.
Implied is not only marvel but mystery. It is a personal
relationship with the God
of Wonder Himself
that gives meaning, excitement, and joy to our lives. He is the
“Emmanuel,” God Himself with us in the person of Jesus, the Sent
One, the Messiah from God the Father.
“Great
God of wonders! All thy ways are worthy of thyself—divine.
And
the bright glories of thy grace Among thine other wonders shine.
Who
is a pard'ning God like thee? Or who has grace so rich and free?”
It
is in communion with God that we find that sense of wonder, rejoicing
in the works of God and always aware of the mystery of knowing Him,
“whom to know aright is life eternal.” “Enchantment in life
can never be realized in some thing; it must ultimately culminate in
a person.” “Just as gratitude requires someone to whom we can be
grateful, truth requires someone because of whom truth is possible.
In both instances personhood is indispensable to wonder.” p. 104
Ravi Zacharias
An
essential part of wonder is to understand and experience love. And
that happens in our relationship with Jesus. Love is “the quiet
confidence of belonging to someone other than oneself; a commitment
to a cause greater than oneself; a relationship that makes choices
apart from the self; it is the root of unending sacrifice. When that
love is found, wonder is sustained even in moments of great fear.
But the how and why of such a love is a challenge.”
“Herein
is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his
Son
to be
the [atoning sacrifice] for our sins.
Beloved,
if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” 1 John
4:10-11
--Bill
Burnside
