God of Wonders

As I was jogging today, I saw a little girl, I don't think she was even two years old, getting a look at some mallards for what may have been the for the very first time. Under daddy's watchful eye, she stared with a sense of awe and wonder at the green-headed, orange-footed, quacking birds in front of her. Try as she might, she just couldn't quite get her new little mouth around the word "ducky," only managing to get out a "duh."

As I took in that seen, I began wondering at what point in my own life I'd lost that sense of awe and wonder. When did I lose that child-like curiosity about bugs, lizards, birds, grass, flowers? When was the last time I just looked at clouds and wondered why I couldn't play in them? To my great regret, I honestly can't remember. When did I stop looking around in amazement at all the wondrous things God has made all around me?

The Psalmist, David, went through something similar. He looked up one night and exclaimed in amazement, "When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?" (Ps. 8:3-4)

I often find myself thinking about less grand things, like why the freeway isn't as wide as it should be. Why the the government can't seem to do anything right. Why my power bill is higher this month. Why the gas prices seem to be going back up, just when I need a refill. I just get so distracted by the everyday, the mundane, the pointless, that I forget about everything else that God has done all around me. The hawk sitting on the fence, the ducks waiting for bread, the flowers beginning to bloom anew. Truly, I wish I could look to the heavens and cry out, as David did:

¹ The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
² Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
³ They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.
⁴ Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.
Ps. 19:1-4

If only life didn't seem to always get in the way!

What about you?