Austin, TX
This
winter, my city received an unexpected snowfall. An exciting event since the last time it
happened was over a decade ago. What
made it even more special was that this snow was not predicted. It caught the whole city unexpectedly, unpredictably,
and completely by surprise. The snow
began falling around 4:30 pm and continued until about 8:30 pm. It wasn’t just
any snow, but the kind that falls in big fluffy flakes, that you try to catch
on your tongue. As you’re driving, it
swirls and falls from the sky and it looks like you are watching the beginning
credits from the Star Wars movie in front of your car window.
When it
began I was sitting in the hair salon, having my hair colored, (do not judge)
when all the technicians went outside to see the snowfall. Imagine, me in a chair, hair foiled and watching
them mass exodus out into the parking lot.
As the technicians looked up at the snow, some tried to catch it, and
others twirled in its presence. Many
exclaimed that this was the first time that they had even encountered
snow. And, then it hit me. There was no
escaping what we were experiencing. It was a sense of awe - a sense of wonder.
That
evening, parents allowed their children to stay up and play in it. They let them go sledding, build snowpersons
and be a part of this wonderful exciting unexpected event as Austin went from a
city scene to a winter wonderland in a few short hours.
It amazes
me, as I sit on a plane now half way around the world, how snow can take a
normal day, and turn it into something extraordinary. I was more amazed by the snowfall in Austin
than I am about being able to travel half way around the world by plane. How quickly we get over our amazement, our
wonder, and our awe? We cease our
ability to wonder when we think we understand something.
In
today’s language, we use the word wonder to describe a feeling of amazement and
admiration. We use it to describe
something beautiful, remarkable, or unfamiliar.
Wonder creates emotions, which are excited by novelty, the sight or mind
of something new, unusual, strange, great, extraordinary, and not well
understood. Wonder commands the
attention by its grandeur and inexplicableness.
Throughout
Scripture, God’s use of the word wonder means something totally different. While generally it means to be surpassing or
extraordinary, the Hebrew word for wonder, pala,
indicates something deeper than just an uncommon event or something out of the
ordinary. It reflects a phenomenon,
which is lying outside the realm of human explanation; it is that which is
separated from the normal course of events.
It cannot be explained. It has to do with what we see, what we perceive
to be true, and what we try desperately in our humanness to understand. While wonder is in front of me, and I see it,
and I cannot deny that it is happening or that it has happened, for I have
witnessed it. Just as the snowfall this
week was incredible, it once again caused me to reach out and grasp pala…. something extraordinary
Pala is
found in both biblical and modern Hebrew.
It occurs some 70 times in the Old Testament. The first time we see the
Hebrew word pala it is used in
Genesis 18:14, when God replies to Sarah’s laughing about having a son in her
old age. He simply says, “…. Is anything too hard for the Lord?” This pala
translates as - is anything to marvelous, wonderful, surpassing, extraordinary,
hard or difficult for Him?
When the
world pala is used, it is primarily
with God as its subject expressing actions that are beyond the boundaries of
human powers or expectations. Wonder is chiefly a miraculous work. In the Gospels, the feeling of wonder is
drawn out by the marvelous displays of Christ’s power and wisdom. In Isaiah 9:6, Jesus bears the titles of
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Wonder points us towards God’s anointed as He
continues the marvelous acts of God.
Wonder is
often indescribable. It is an attribute
of God, such as His holiness. This divine
title shows us the very nature of God. He
is the miracle-working counselor. He is
able to do what no one else can do. Isaiah 28:29 says, “the Lord’s counsel is
wonderful and His wisdom is great.” Exodus 15:11 claims, “Who is like you, O Lord…majestic
in holiness, awesome in glorious
deeds, doing wonders.”
Messiah
as counselor can be hard to understand. The Hebrew language gives us a
pictorial image of king giving counsel to his people. Specifically this biblical idea of counsel
involves both careful listening and clear advising by someone who is wise and
really knows how to live. According to
Isaiah 9:6, Jesus is amazing and strong.
He brings wholeness and completion, as well as friendship between man
and God…forever. His wonderful counsel
comes through Him. It is who He is.
So what
should our response to wonder be? We
should be just like the city of Austin as it was captured with the
snowfall. We should be in total awe. Standing in the swirling flakes and when His
grace catches us off guard, we should understand that we have just witnessed a
small part of His glory. According to Scripture, “many are Your wonders, which You
have done”. They are too numerous to
count. Even the heavens praise Your
wonders. Wonder is our only response to God’s acts of judgment and redemption
of man. May we
stand in awe and wonder before our God.
