As we enter into this new season of Increasing Our Faith, the Lord highlighted two things for us this year. One was what we don’t need and the other was what we do need this year.
What we don’t need for this year is more information. Everything that we need to increase our faith this year will come from the Lord. Our job is not to gather more information but rather to step out in faith on what the Lord is telling us this season.
God reminded me of the story of Abram found in Genesis 12:1-9. God told Abram to go from what He knew (his country, his people, and his father’s household) to a new place that He would show him.
The funny part about this scripture is that Abram did exactly that. He didn’t ask for more direction nor did he try to figure out what possible route God would take if He was him. He simply went on his way until God spoke to him again.
Abram held on to the promises God had spoken over him, including the part where He said,
Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
Genesis 12:1
It was essentially a promise that God would direct Abram as he goes.
So often God reveals to us the promises that He has for us and we respond with “How?” Or “Where?” Or even “What? Come again?”
What if this year we decided to take that same step of faith in our lives that Abram did and increase our faith with what He is calling us to do? What if we actually believed He was going to direct us as we go?
What we do need this year is more wonder; specifically more wonder of God.
Oftentimes awe and wonder are used interchangeably, so I found a description that can help us understand the difference between the two.
Awe is the overwhelming feeling of being in the presence of something vast or mysterious, causing you to feel small but connected (e.g., the Grand Canyon). While wonder is the deeper curiosity and openness that follows, driving you to explore and understand that mystery.
When we experience the presence of God, we are in Awe of Him. The Awe we experience in God’s presence can be the catalyst that sparks the wonder of who He is and what He can do.
Being in Awe of God will have you stop and gaze at the presence of the Lord. Whereas having wonder will make you lean in to God and engage with questions.
In the scriptures it looks something like this:
Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?
Exodus 15:11 (NIV)
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
Psalm 8:3-4 (NIV)
The art of wondering about God has been lost since the age of modernity. Instead of trying to figure out God based on what we know, what if we allowed our innate curiosity of who He is and what He can do to point us back to Him for the answers? What if we allowed God to flood our hearts and minds with impossible things so that we can see what’s really possible? What if we released ourselves from the limitations of the human condition and allowed God to speak His reality over us? What if we just wondered about God because He’s God?
I believe by wondering about God, we will increase our faith in the process. We will be challenged to look beyond what we see, know, think and hear about what is impossible and look, lean in, and wonder about what is possible with God.
Father may we continue to increase our faith this year. May we be in Awe of your presence and have more wonder of Who You are and what You can do in us and through us. Have your way, Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!