"Radiant Wonder"

In the preface to his book, "The Pursuit of God," A.W. Tozer wrote of "the radiant wonder that should accompany faith in Christ."

The Psalmist David also declared that the knowledge of God is the most fascinating of all understandings and sensibilities.

"Remember His wonders... Declare His wonders" (Psalm 105:5; 96:3).

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ ushers us into realities that are infinitely greater than anything the natural world has to offer. The many thrilling sights, sounds, visions, and experiences of creation all point to the greater things of the Creator who originated and empowers them. "The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and godhead." "The things of Him," that is, the characteristics, ways, and nature of God Himself are the heart of all glory, and we miss truth and reality if we miss the "radiant wonder" that inhabits both Heaven and earth (Romans 1:20).

If God orchestrated our life so that we found ourselves alone on a deserted island, with only food, water, and shelter, could He nevertheless fulfill our hearts? Would His joy, peace, strength, and assurance remain? The answer is yes, but it would be required of us that we believe and submit ourselves to the truth of His willingness and ability to grace our lives with radiant wonder in any circumstance. This present moment commands that we affirm the singular filling and fulfilling of God Himself, and our experience of His wonder will grace our lives to the degree we believe the truth that if all we had was the Lord Jesus, we would have all. "Thou art God alone" (Psalm 86:10).

Believers must expect the glory of God to fill us in both awareness and experience. "I will look for Him." It is not inevitable that Tozer's "radiant wonder" will characterize our present life, and even dedicated believers sometimes occupy themselves with the hem of God's garment rather than with it's holy Wearer. We would all acknowledge that too often we have "worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever." We have exchanged the eternal for the temporal. Thankfully, one of the wondrous qualities of our Lord is forgiveness and the possibility of going forth anew and afresh to seek Him (a thing of radiant wonder itself). This moment offers the possibility if we have been distracted, and it is a matter of surviving and thriving that we establish God alone as the Life of our lives, the Blessing of our blessings, and the glory of our existence (Isaiah 8:17; Romans 1:25).

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God."

(Colossians 3:1-2)