May We Never Lose Our Wonder
Last weekend as I listened to Pastor Mark’s sermon, the song called “Wonder” immediately came to mind. Pastor Mark said, “When you think of prayer, do you ever use the word ‘wonder’? …It is actually a fairly central way in how we are trying to disciple our boys—for young children are full of wonder, full of curiosity. So, we try to help them harness that wonder toward God and his creation… When was the last time that you carved out intentional time or space to wonder about God?”
“Wonder” is a spontaneous worship song. These are the opening lines:
“May we never lose our wonder, may we never lose our wonder,
Wide-eyed and mystified, may we be just like a child
Staring at the beauty of the king
May we never lose our wonder, may we never lose our wonder.”
The first time I heard this song was in the middle of Discipleship Training School (DTS) studying about the Holy Spirit. The lecture had just started, and we were asked to close our eyes, sit in stillness, and listen to the song as a prayer—let the words be sung over us as we thought about their meaning. Childlike wonder has an innocence to it, an innocence that seems to disappear the more knowledgeable we believe we become. After the song was finished, you could tell the mood had shifted in the room, almost like we felt we knew nothing and had become excited to discover more.
Another line in the song reads, “You fascinate me, You fascinate us”. Synonyms of “fascinated” include intrigued, interested, attracted, gripped, and immersed. When was the last time you could say you felt that way about something related to God?? It is easy to say you are interested and gripped by Thursday night football, or intrigued by a good book, or immersed at Disneyland. But what about by the disciplines of following Jesus and our ultimate God?
I remember thinking at the time the song felt very long. But it’s only six minutes! Six minutes to sit in stillness and be reminded of how important to have an attitude of awe and wonder, as a child of God. The song evokes this feeling - “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” (John 3:30, NLT). For me, if I cannot meditate in silence, it helps to listen to worship songs, especially before I start praying or saying anything. There’s something about the act of worship that postures us in an act of surrender. Anyways, I invite you to do the same!
Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. (Hebrews 12:28, NLT)
Song Info: Wonder (Spontaneous) | Bethel Music