• Recapturing A Wonder That Leads Us Into Worship

    By: Kristen L. McNulty

    Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.

    There’s a consequence to living in 2021, besides the obvious hurdle with COVID-19. That said, Between technology and scientific discoveries we tend to view the world around us as a question to be answered, instead of a wonder to marvel at. And then even when confronted with true beauty or the wonder that exists in the world around us, our busyness leads us to abandon those thoughts rather quickly so we can move onto the next thing.

    Think about it: when is the last time you truly were mystified and mesmerized by God’s creation around you? And when it did happen, were you drawn into worshipping our Creator, the Lord our God?  The mysteries and the beauty around us isn’t a puzzle to be solved, but an opportunity to notice and let our wonder draw us into worship.

    Learning From The Psalms


    Look at the psalms. One psalm after another is spent marvelling in creation and then moving on to worship the Creator. Psalm 104 is just one example of this. The psalmist takes notice of incredible things around him and in wonder notes them, let’s pick up at verse 19:

    "You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set. You send the darkness, and it becomes night, when all the forest animals prowl about. Then the young lions roar for their prey, stalking the food provided by God. At dawn they slink back into their dens to rest. Then people go off to their work, where they labor until evening." Psalm 104:19-23 

    Then verses later, after even more observation and adoration, the psalmist praises and worshipping God, declaring:

    "May the glory of the LORD continue forever! The LORD takes pleasure in all he has made! The earth trembles at his glance; the mountains smoke at his touch. I will sing to the LORD as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath! May all my thoughts be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD. Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth; let the wicked disappear forever. Let all that I am praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!" Psalm 104:31-35

    Other psalms that follow a similar pattern of noticing the wonder of creation and then being drawn into worship include: Psalm 8, Psalm 19, Psalm 33, Psalm 95, Psalm 139, I could go on and on and on.

    Realigning Our Hearts and Minds


    If we want to follow the examples of the psalmists, then we need to realign our hearts and minds so that when we are confronted with the wonder of God’s creation we recognize it and we respond to it. Practically this might look like pulling over the car when your eye catches a spectacular sunset in the distance and taking the time to reveal in its beauty, then rejoice and praise the Lord.

    It might look like going on a camping trip and instead of bringing a tablet to watch tv on, park yourself outside and take notice of the wonder of creation all around you.

    It might look like taking a walk in the bush a few nights a week and leaving the ear buds at home so you can both focus on nature all around you and not be distracted so you can truly worship.

    It might look like going outside on your lunch break to sit in a park instead of remaining in your cubical. Then purposefully observing everything you can see from the wild flowers to the way the sunlight dances on the surface of the pond.

    Having Eyes To See


    Let us refuse complacency and instead have eyes to see the wonder of creation all around us and have hearts ready to give glory, praise and credit where it is due: to our Creator and king. Let’s not sterilize our sense of wonder by trying to explain away the world around us and instead enjoy the mystery and wonder of the remarkable creation that exists because of a remarkable creator.

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