Wonders

Can you recall seeing something wonderful for the first time? Did it hold the same wonder after a hundred times? Most things lose their allure after time and familiarity, but some things never do.

Saturday we went to an air show. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing the static displays and the demonstrations. We cheered with awe and delight as we watched the stunts and performances. But I found myself particularly drawn to watching the spectators and participants in uniform as they observed and interacted in the events of the day. Even they were enthralled, maybe even more than the rest of us.

They knew the equipment. They knew the planes. They knew the technical details involved in the operations and stunts. Yet they still marveled. To them, the wonder had not decreased because of their familiarity or years of experience. On the contrary, it seemed to have increased.

Because these men and women still see the wonder, they also still hold the fear. It is a healthy fear, a fear that keeps them careful and sharp. It keeps them vigilant and attentive. It keeps them safe. If they ever lose the wonder, though, they lose that fear, and that places them in a dangerous spot.

The same is true of us spiritually. When we cease to be amazed at the things of God, we begin to lose our fear of Him. The very things that keep us growing, learning, and protected from Satan’s fiery darts are bound up in the wonders of God. If our senses begin to ignore those wonders, even the simplest of them, we find ourselves dulled to the warning signals and nudges of the Holy Spirit.

This morning as I headed out the door for my morning walk, I looked up at the dark, star-filled sky. I have seen that sky many times before, but a thrill still overwhelmed me at seeing it again. Later in the day, I walked into the garage and saw spider webs scattered along the intersection of wall and ceiling, full of trapped mosquitoes and egg sacs. From the great expanse of the universe to the spiders who have left webs full of food for the tiny babies growing in those little sacs, God’s wonders are displayed all around me. May I never cease to be amazed at those wonders. And may I never lose the fear of the One who made them.