For the Wonder of it All
Let me begin by just stating that I love the word “wonder.” It conjures up feelings of adventure, anticipation, excitement and delight in me. When I dwell on the word wonder all sorts of pictures flash through my mind: a child with a wad of cash in an old-fashioned candy store; one of those fancy toy stores you see in the movies; a picture of my daughter in her little tutu swimsuit when she was 2 and a half; a memory of my son sprinting down the soccer field; planning yet another camping trip with my husband; the mountains; the ocean; the sun breaking through the clouds… the list is endless. I really believe each day is made of multiple moments of wonder if only I would just slow down enough to grasp their significance.
I recently had one of those moments when reading a familiar passage of scripture from the book of Philippians in the Bible. What signaled my “wonder antenna” was verse 10: “My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death.” (NET) It’s been a verse I have read before but tended to slide over for various reasons. It seemed very theological, and it talks about suffering and death. The verse never struck me as being one of those “happy verses.”
When the wonder of God steps in everything changes. God revealed 4 very wondrous concepts in this one verse.
First, God has given me something to aim for, and its not overwhelming! The goal, the center mark, the place to aim is to get to know Christ! Say what?! That’s it? I don’t have to leap tall buildings, evangelize everyone in my neighborhood, and memorize the entire New Testament? Admittedly, as I get to know Jesus more and more He may challenge me to do one of those. And if he does, I will be at a point of knowing Him close enough that I’ll be ready. I just need to make sure I’m invested and intentional about knowing Christ. Wonderful simplicity.
Secondly, as I am aiming to know Christ, I am privileged to experience the same power that raised a dead Jesus back to life. Talk about a bit of wonder! Death seems to be a pretty deep dark pit. Our everyday assumption is that when someone or something dies, it’s all over, there’s no going back. The wonder is that Christ has death-defying power and he is never limited by what our minds describe as final. I am amazed that God is SO powerful! That power is FOR me, and that brings me amazing reassurance that there is no depth He can’t rescue me from. Wonderous magnificence.
Thirdly, as I continue to aim to know Christ completely I get to “share in his sufferings.” Can I get a “whoop! whoop!” and a “Hallelujah!” I know it doesn’t sound like something to marvel over, and maybe this phrase has always been the sticky point that has led me to do some serious skimming onto something more palatable. God, in His gracious mercy, is helping me to better grasp why this really is something to be in Wonder about. In my simple mind, I share in Christ’s sufferings when I am so committed to God’s purpose and will that I begin living outside “my box.” I begin to act in ways beyond what I perceive are my physical limitations; no more excuses like ‘I don’t know how to do that,” or “I’m too tired,” or “I’m too young or too old.” I set aside my fears, my own agenda and my assumed list of skills and gifting to the point of truly risking ridicule, isolation and rejection. My focus is not on suffering but fulfilling God’s purpose, conquering the mountain, scaling the wall! There is something thrilling about being a part of something so big, so eternal that one can’t help but wonder at being allowed to participate. And the wonder doesn’t stop there! The phrase is SHARE in Christ’s suffering. There is wonder on top of wonder! There is no pain, no emotional carnage that God isn’t in the middle of it with me. He journeys with me, He fills in the gaps, He is my friend when all others have deserted me, He is the wisdom and answer to all the unknowns I encounter. He is. Wonderland of Relationship.
Lastly, as my aim to know Christ completely deepens, I am blessed to be like him in his death. I have realized that, in the past, I would end the thought at ‘be like him,” with a very large, emphatically placed period. The fact that Jesus went all the way to death is crucial to my salvation. Even though Jesus would have humanly preferred a different avenue, God directed that this was the way to go, and Jesus chose to obediently walk the road laid before him. If I am to know Christ completely, I too must choose absolute obedience. Here’s the Wonder: what I often perceive to be the death or end of something may be God’s ultimate plan. The ending, the death, in God’s over all view, has a miraculous purpose that is beyond my comprehension. And with Christ, where there is death, resurrection always follows. Marveling wrapped in Wondering Amazement.
Praise the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does such wonderful things. Praise his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen!
Psalms 72:18-19 NLT
