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Wondering In Prayer


Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other. (Deuteronomy 4:34-35) 

          Every once in a while, I find myself amazed by the fact that for years, a group of people in Harrisburg, PA have allowed me to own and control a multiple-thousand-pound object that can move around very quickly. I’m not saying anything about my driving skills. I’m equally amazed that whoever gave you your license did so. 
          As a writer, wondering is part of my job description. Right now, I’m wondering how in the world my heroes are going to get out of the mess into which I’ve gotten them. (OK, they helped.) Wondering is fun. I believe that the capacity to wonder is one of the things that separates humanity from the animals. Animals are practical. Some animals are inquisitive. There’s nothing wrong with that. I value their practicality and curiosity, but those things aren’t what I mean by wondering. 
          Could it be that God works miraculous signs and wonders to make us wonder? Wonderment provokes (at least) two basic responses: investigation (Oh? How’s that? What’s that?) and awe (Oh, wow!) I think wondering is one of my favorite forms of prayer and worship. The times of prayer that I love best are those in which I ask God about something rather than for something. What does He think of this? How should I understand that? What connection is there between those two things? Why is that right and this wrong? Those “Oh?” wonderings often lead to “Oh!” wonderings, and the “Oh!” leads back to more “Oh?” The more I look, the more I see parallels between the way the physical universe works and the way the spiritual universe works. As I wonder about God, my focus is on getting to know God, and not on getting God to give me something. 
          For anyone who wants to explore this subject further, I recommend Recapture the Wonder by Ravi Zacharias. I need to reread it. Last time I tried, I think I was looking for the wrong things. This time, when I get to it, I want to read it with the prayer:
          Lord, cause me to see the wonder of You.

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