Rekindling Your Amazement...

    Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said; “We have seen remarkable things today.”~ Luke 5:26 NIV

I have just finished reading an excellent commentary on the gospel of Luke. The author of the commentary, Michael Card, has entitled his book Luke: The Gospel of Amazement. It’s an appropriate title for the gospel that uses the word amaze (or a synonym for amaze) sixteen times in one relatively short volume.

The shepherds, His Mother, Joseph, the teachers of the law, those He healed and those who heard Him speak were all astonished and awestruck by their encounters with Jesus; even His adversaries were often amazed by the Savior… It’s fair to say that amazement is the standard biblical response to an encounter with Jesus.

Those of us who have had personal, spiritual encounters with Jesus would agree that our initial response to the person of Jesus Christ was amazement; we were awe-struck that the God of the universe would condescend to take on human form in order to rescue humans from their sinful state (the humans for the most part were and are indifferent to their need to be rescued). We were amazed that God cared for us personally and was willing to reach us at the place we were at.

Unfortunately, even for the faithful, amazement with the Savior often fades to a ho-hum academic acceptance of what we have heard or read. Our lack of amazement leads to a lack of joy, and a powerless, uninspired kind of living that stirs no one—especially those who have not yet had a personal encounter with Jesus.

We have all experienced times where our sense of amazement is eclipsed by the struggles of living. Life just kind of takes over with the stress of things like job losses, relationship conflict, and money struggles, the next thing we know our sense of wonder has flown out the window. It’s not just the big pressures that take their toll on our faith; even the mundane stuff of life like cranky toddlers, dirty dishes, yard work, pet messes and five o’ clock traffic can add up to a sense of frustration with the tedium of life.  If we are going to maintain a vibrant, active faith it is imperative that we make an effort to rekindle that initial amazement. I have a few tips for those who may feel that their sense of wonder and amazement needs a kick-start.

First, remember. One of the prominent themes of the Bible in general and the book of Psalms in particular is remembrance. Over and over again the people of God are told to remember. A few of the things we are told to remember are…

à      The wonders He has done, the miracles He has preformed~ Psalm 105:5, Psalm 77:11

à      His graciousness and compassion towards us~ Psalm 111:14

à      That His love and mercy endures forever~ Psalm 136:23

à      His past provision~ Psalm 111:5

We are instructed to remember because reflective recollection reminds us that God has been good in the past. When we remember His past goodness we become confident of His future goodness and that fills us with both hope and gratitude. Gratitude rekindles amazement.

Second, we must think back on our own stories and listen to the stories of others. Everybody has a story( some of us have a bunch). For Christians, it’s the story of how God got you from where you were to where you are now. Not having such a story is a sign that something is amiss spiritually.

When I think back to the Lisa of twenty-five years ago I’m astonished at how far I’ve come and at times even more aware of how far I have to go, but knowing how far God has brought me gives me faith that He will continue the work He started. It’s not just my story that restores my amazement at the goodness of God, every time someone shares their story with me I am reminded that God is amazing and can do things in people and through people that are beyond our asking or imagining (Ephesians 3:20).

Finally, take a closer look at your environment; Psalm 119:1-3 states that… 

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech; 
night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

It is not only the heavens that declare the glory of God; every square inch of this planet screams in a loud voice: “God is” and “He is amazing”. It is easy to become blind to the wonder of our environment. The cliché “familiarity breeds contempt” became a cliché for a reason. If you really want to rekindle your amazement, walk outside your back door and take a good hard look at all God has done. Whether you live in the Northwest with its majestic forests, or in the swampy almost ethereal beauty of the Southeast corner of our country, or in the Southwestern desert with it’s abstract otherworldly beauty, you will find something that will rekindle your amazement in God’s goodness and creative power.