The Power of Wonder: Reflecting on God’s Works

Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.” Psalm 111:2 (NIV)

Gray clouds clung together into one large canopy, ragged edges softening into blue. I added my chair to those facing a tall, white cross. The cross itself faced the Atlantic Ocean. Seagrass blew on a gentle wind. The waves rolled a slow, easy rhythm.

A musician arrived. Speakers, a mic, a long extension cord, and a guitar would carry music and shared testimony across the beach.

I lifted my gaze. The clouds dispersed into wisps of white. A circle of yellow sun throbbed on the horizon, short rays pushing against the haze to cast a yellow glow over the gathering of friends and family.

We sang of God’s goodness as those choosing baptism lined up. Some were afraid. I slipped my arm around each person’s shoulders as they came forward. I received the privilege of reading words written from the depths of their hearts. I could feel the Savior at work within them. Bodies shook, and tears fell at the “wonder-working power of the blood,” the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross for them—for all.

Beachgoers sat in chairs not far away. Passersby paused or turned their heads.

Our Pastor led us down to the shoreline. The sixteen who publicly declared their faith would now be baptized. And their decision to share how the LORD had already worked in their lives was affecting others!

A man stepped forward. He hadn’t come with our group. He had been sitting nearby, watching. But something compelled him to move to the water’s edge, to take the first step of a changed life.

Deliberate Consideration

There was much to ponder that evening. The sun pushing through at just the right moment. The gentleness of the wind. The vastness of the water.

I couldn’t help but notice the parallels. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, was with us—the Living Water, inconceivable in His greatness. The endless ocean before us called His Word to mind. The Holy Spirit, described in Scripture as breath or wind, surrounded us, unseen yet evident in the seagrass bending in the breeze.

We live in a world that gives us answers almost instantly. We can identify the bird overhead and its song, predict the tide schedule, track each cloud on an app. All this knowledge is a gift.

Yet, does it keep us from wonder?

For isn’t it the “not knowing” that often stops us for a moment as we watch, search our minds, and lift up a prayer in question—or in thanks?

Scripture encourages us to look closely. Psalm 111 says that God’s works are pondered by those who delight in them. The apps are useful and satisfy our immediate questions, but could our dependence on instant answers be stripping away our ability to study, our desire to rest long enough to notice, marvel, and discover how much more remains beyond our understanding?

I considered the crowds gathered to hear Jesus Christ. Thousands came. He needed no microphones, no speakers, no big screens, or extension cords. None of it.

A Wonderful Mystery

I can tell you a few things about what happened on the beach that evening. I can tell you about the music, about the testimonies, about the cotton candy sky. I can tell you that a man we didn’t know, who didn’t know us, rose from his beach chair and walked into the Atlantic to be baptized.

What I can’t explain is the mystery of what happens in the human heart when it recognizes its need for a Savior. I can only stand in wonder before the One who can change it.

The Call

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom…” Psalm 111:10 (NIV)

I wonder if wisdom begins when we are led to recognize that we are not the source of all the answers. All the artificial—or “super”—intelligence in the world will never answer the questions of the human heart.

Psalm 111 begins with “Praise the LORD” and, after considering God’s works, His character, His faithfulness, and His covenant, it ends in the same place: “To Him belongs eternal praise.”

When we take time to wonder, to ponder, to listen, and to pray, we are led to our Savior.

And that, dear friends, is truly a call to worship!