Expecting God’s Wonder

Have you ever prayed this prayer?

What would you expect if you did?

I recently had the opportunity to read a few pre-release chapters of a new book by one of my favorite authors.
As with her other books, this one also captured my attention in the first few pages. On page 4 she writes:

“I offered up a silent prayer to lay hold of the wonder of God, to find myself once again awed by another facet of His nature, another glimpse of His presence in our world.” And, “God delights for us to cup our hands in prayer and scrunch our faces against the vault of heaven in holy expectation that He will meet us in beautiful, mysterious ways. The Creator desires to captivate us not just with His handiwork but with Himself—displaying facets of His character, igniting us with His fiery love, awakening us to the intensity of His holiness. Often such incidents occur when we least anticipate, leaving us wonderstruck…”

My friend, Margaret Feinberg, has a new book and 7-session Bible Study called Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God (releasing Christmas Day)—a personal invitation for you to toss back the covers, climb out of bed, and drink in the fullness of life. What if you could:

Recognize the presence of God in the midst of your routine
Unearth extraordinary moments on ordinary days
Develop a renewed passion for God
Identify what’s holding you back in prayer
Discover joy in knowing you’re wildly loved

I’ve already read enough to know I want to read the whole book, and I’m very particular about what I read. As a long time reader of Margaret Feinberg’s books, I’ve always enjoyed her engaging writing style that keeps me turning the pages in anticipation. Her passion for God and thirst for experiencing more of Him in her life is inspiring, and reading Wonderstruck challenged me to pray to “lay hold of the wonder of God.”

God has most recently revealed His wonder in my life in the middle of a restless, sleepless night. I looked out the window just as two young deer wandered into our front yard and started grazing just a few feet away. It was a dark, cloudy night, but I could see them very well in the light from our neighbor’s outside Christmas lights. A few minutes later their mama joined them, then after a while she gracefully leapt back up the bank and disappeared into the dark. The young ones stayed behind, content to nibble on what they could find under the fallen leaves.

It was such a peaceful scene, and deer are such beautiful examples of God’s creation. I stood very still and watched them for about ten minutes, fascinated by their graceful moves and sharp senses. A couple of times they seemed to know they were being watched and would stop and look directly toward me, their gaze intent as they searched for signs of danger. I gently closed the blinds and went back to bed, leaving them to enjoy their grazing without fear.

God used my peaceful time of watching the deer to calm my mind from thinking about to-do lists and busy schedules, and to draw me into restful sleep. I went to sleep thinking about the wonders of God, instead of everything else that had been on my mind. Oh, and our neighbor’s lights are on a timer and would normally already be off long before that time. But that night they were still on.

Where has God revealed His wonder in your life?

This is the first of three posts I’m writing in my review of Wonderstruck. My next review post will be on December 16, and the final one on December 23.

Since I love a bargain as much as I love reading Margaret’s books, I took advantage of the wonderful pre-pub offer and ordered the book for $7.57 ($14.99 retail) at Amazon, and got some great free downloads. You can find out more about Wonderstruck by visiting www.margaretfeinberg.com/wonderstruck where she’s offering some incredible promos right now with up to $300 of free stuff.

Follow Margaret’s funny and inspirational posts on Twitter, Facebook, or her blog.