MARIA CURREY | CONTRIBUTOR

What sparks wonder in your mind and heart? Psalm 77:11-12 is our call to WONDER! “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.”

Oh, that this will be an Advent season of wonder for you! When you consider who God is and what He’s done for you, how do you behold Him in amazed wonder and awe?

Childlike Wonder

Children understand what WONDER means. They are filled with wonder over the smallest things: the feathers of a bird, the amazing, assorted animals at the zoo, the yummiest flavors, a creeping caterpillar. Meandering our way through the wonder of their favorite animals, my grandchildren enjoy many-striped zebras, long-necked willowy giraffes, floppy-eared, giant grey elephants, all created by our God of wonder. How about favorite childhood flavors? My mom is a 92-years-young woman of wonder; she was a foodie before they were named as such. She happily lavishes favorite flavors on her family, lovingly making rhubarb custard pie for my oldest brother, carrot pudding and vanilla sauce for the youngest, all thoughtful flavors of wonder. These lighter-level delights make me think that in a much grander and more WONDER-filled way, God loves us. He surrounds us with wonder in all of His Creation, lavishing us with tangible reminders of His wondrous love!

Wavering Wonder

Kristyn Getty sings “Don’t Let me Lose the Wonder,” a song which captures the tensions between world-weariness and heavenward-wonder. One snippet sings,

I knew your voice upon a hill and heard my lostness still
I found my home in the light where wrong was made right
As You rose as the Morning Star.

Don’t let me lose my wonder.

As grown women, let us remember and rejoice in the childlike wonders we experience in the light of our Morning Star Savior. It’s easy to lose our awe when faced with the daily hardships of life in a fallen world. We are prone to forget all that God has done. How joyful and wonderful life is when we pause to remember and wonder once again at God and His works.

Word-Wonder

Consider Mary after she was met by the angel Gabriel. Once he explained God’s favor over her and she asked Gabriel questions, what was her response?

“My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…” Mary’s song in Luke 1, known as her Magnificat, was a prayer of awe-filled wonder, exalting and trusting God as the Creator of all things, the One who is sovereignly in control. Wondrously recorded in Luke 2, after Jesus’ birth and the angels gloriously praised God and after the shepherds rushed to Bethlehem to see the baby lying in a manger, “Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). Not far from childhood herself, Mary was transfixed by God’s glory; she trusted and treasured the gift of Jesus. Wonder filled her humble heart, and she turned her gaze to God’s goodness.

Why did a young Jewish girl from Nazareth trust with such unswerving wonder?

She knew God’s Word. The whole of Mary’s wondrous Magnificat, her song of praise, in Luke 1:46-55 derives from Old Testament truth. Mary knew the God of wonder by knowing the wonder of His Word. When Gabriel said, “For nothing will be impossible with God,” he was affirming Mary in what she already knew within her heart and mind. God chose a precious, pliable heart and mind in Mary, one who was imperfect and sinful like you and me but one who was nonetheless sensitive and obedient to God’s voice.

In this Advent season:

• Maybe you are pondering and struggling with the stark contrasts between God’s wonders and the world’s wickedness, facing worries which squelch wonder.
• Maybe you are weary and crying, “Don’t let me lose my wonder!” and need a song of praise to woo you back to His wonder.
• Maybe you relate to Mary’s humble heart, truly trusting and treasuring God’s wonder.
• Maybe you are bewildered by what this wonder really means and need the truth of Jesus as your beautiful, wondrous Savior.

In whatever place of wonder, Jesus is your answer. If you do not know Him as the source of all wonder, simply respond to His wooing of your heart, mind, and soul. Tell Him how you need His life-saving love and forgiveness. Confess your sinfulness, your need for a Savior, and your longing to be washed by His wonderful saving grace. Once you know Jesus as Lord and Savior, with certainty you are a woman of wonder. You are a one-of-a-kind, fearfully and wonderfully designed daughter of the King. Jesus was born to a young teenage girl who entrusted herself to God’s will, willing herself to His wondrous wisdom. His salvation gift to Mary is His gift to your heart this holiday season and throughout the coming New Year.

Ponder and fill in this simple phrase, “LORD God, my heart is grateful for the WONDER of _______________!”

Praise God from whom His wonders flow!

Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash