Awe and Wonder

The basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. - Romans 1:19, The Message

From start to finish, scripture is clear that it is not the only form of revelation. Over and over the Bible recognizes that we can know a lot of who God is through nature. When we really open our eyes to the beauty and power of nature, we are filled with wonder and awe.

Brene Brown, in Atlas of the Heart, describes the difference between awe and wonder. Awe is that feeling of something so much bigger, often leaving us feeling small. It inspires a wish to acknowledge and unite with the awesome thing in some way. Wonder, on the other hand, tends to inspire curiosity and a desire to understand. And both are very appropriate responses to those moments in nature when we’re caught off guard by the intensity of our reaction to something gloriously created.

When is the last time you felt awe? How about wonder? Could it have been at some creative thing another human did (thus imitating the Creator)? It might also have been at something small that you really focused on, like a leaf or person’s face.

Take a moment to pick some created thing and reflect on it, intentionally allowing yourself to be drawn into the moment and through it to worship.