My son Stone’s golden birthday was January 14, 2024, for he turned 14 on the 14th. This will only happen once in his life, and yet on the Thursday before his birthday he started feeling bad. First came the fever, then the chills, then the headache and the sore throat—all the flu like systems. And so, we had to stay home the weekend of his birthday. Thankfully Stella and I have held strong by the Father’s mercy and our immune system, which has shown that it’s stronger than we thought.
So, with the downtime, I felt it was time to take down my Christmas decorations. And as I took everything off the shelves and all the places I like to put things, I started putting in its place more Valentine-themed decorations. Then, as I was taking my daily walk, a thought came to me. I was feeling a little sad about taking down my decorations, and it made me wonder why? That was my first clue.
There is something about Christmas and creating an atmosphere of wonder that I love to capture in my home. The lights, the colors, the flocked trees, all the Christmas cards, and that holiday cheer, for the songs say, “it’s the most Wonder-Ful time of the year.” That is when it hit me. I feel like I’m losing the wonder.
This reminded me of a song called Wonder by Bethel Music that I have loved and played on repeat many times. I’m listening to it as I write this blog, to continue to inspire me and to pull wonder and melodies together as I continue to find eternal meaning from them.
Here is what Wonder means as a noun:
A cause of astonishment or adoration.
The quality of exciting amazed admiration.
Rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one’s experiences.
A feeling of doubt or uncertainty.
And as an adjective:
Effective or efficient far beyond anything previously known or anticipated.
So, I went to the text, and this was the first scripture that found me:
The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.
-Isaiah 29:13-14 NIV
The footnote said, “they worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.”
I did not know that I would be feeling the reverence and conviction from the Father as I’m writing these words right now. As a worshipper and worship leader, part of my responsibility is to never lose my wonder for the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. This relationship I am growing with the Father carries a weight, for as He shares with me secrets, those secrets have to be stewarded. They need time to grow and germinate and to be watered and cultivated in the heart chambers within again and again.
As believers, wonder is something that over time, as life and rhythms get a little more mundane, we tend to lose. The wonder we had when we first got saved slips away. I have seen it so many times, but I want to encourage you here today to fight for your wonderment with Jesus. There is a merriment that is contagious when you are around people who exude a joy in the Jesus they know and are continuing to get to know. We can’t let the religious things we do routinely affect our heart towards how we see God—the One who thought we were worth sending His only Son to come down and experience our humanity, just to reconnect us back to our eternal destiny.
I was talking to someone recently and telling them about my theme, Open Doors in 2024, and she said something I didn’t fully capture when writing the blogs about the prodigal story. She said, “the prodigal story is also about open doors too.” I said, “yes you are right.” She said, “the Father’s door was always open.” Yeah, I like that.
It got me thinking about the door of salvation, and how because of Jesus that door is always open too. Can you feel the wonder in those words? The door of salvation is always open, y’all.
So, to the ones still wondering what could the Father want or do with me…I can hear some of the inner dialogue of the ones not yet home…the thoughts of how the Father doesn’t want you to be a part of His family.
The accuser is so slick to accuse you with all your faults to keep you in darkness, for he surely doesn’t want you to come into the Father’s marvelous light. For, part of that light is coming into the understanding of son-ship/daughter-ship, which we have been talking about all month.
I truly believe that the deeper your revelation of identity is, and whose you are and where your true worth comes from, the more confident and bright your countenance becomes. There is something about feeling so validated by the Father, for He not only sees you, He believes in you too. Have you ever thought that He allows Himself to be given away to us daily as we commune with Him? It’s a two-way street! When we keep choosing in, He keeps giving us a grin.
So, to anyone reading this today here is a reminder from the Father…
YOU ARE MY SON!
YOU ARE MY DAUGHTER!
I HAVE CHOSEN YOU!
You are mine and I am waiting to become yours again and again!!
Amen.
Wonder (Spontaneous) - Amanda Cook | You Make Me Brave
Until next time,
Keep Believing
Keep Braving
Keep Beaming