“Wondering”. . . Fascinated By God, and By His Truth

(Friends: during this series, the messages may frequently be longer than usual due to the subject matter.  Thanks for your patience, and I think you will find the considerations interesting, and hopefully, helpful in our walk with the Lord.  Glen)

Conclusion – “Thoughts of Us; Thoughts of Him”

          We conclude our consideration of the wonder that is God by recalling the poet Faber’s stanza, mentioned previously in this series of essays:

“Shoreless Ocean, who can sound Thee?

Thine own eternity is round Thee,

Majesty divine!”

     Our minds were made to dive deeply, as it were, into the fact of God.  He provided our capacity to think for the primary purpose of pondering Him.  “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee” (Isaiah 26:3).

     A fallen world, fallen devils, and fallen flesh distract us much from this consideration and its promised tranquility.  Our earthly lives are much with us, requiring thought, concentration, analysis, application and decision.  Moreover, we live in a generation wherein mindless entertainment beckons us to amuse (Latin – “no think”) ourselves far more than is healthy for minds constituted to often ponder good and great thoughts of their Maker.  Even the most consecrated believer must frequently make conscious determinations to overcome the distraction by availing ourselves of the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit, and the thoughts of other believers.  “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

     Mere determination to think about God, however, does not result in our doing so.  He must rather attract our attention by the revelation of Himself to our hearts and minds.  Proper thinking about our Lord begins with the truth that “Many, O LORD my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward” (Psalm 40:5).  Pondering God originates with the wonder of how devotedly and diligently He ponders us.  Indeed, when the distracted or discouraged believer recalls his Lord’s rapt attention and loving care, the likely result will mirror the Psalmist’s determination: “I will consider Thy testimonies” (Psalm 119:95).

    No subject approaches the fascination and mental fulfillment experienced when we attend our minds to their primary purpose.  God is both wonderful, and He is a wonder.  Hopefully, this series of messages has provided encouragement and challenge to journey more deeply into the reaches of that Ocean without shore, and whose depths cannot be fully plumbed.  We shall not be disappointed as we venture, and glories await our God- formed and God-functioning minds as His thoughts of us stimulate our thoughts of Him.  Such pondering inevitably elicits the wondering that fills, thrills, and fulfills our hearts and minds, made by our sublime Lord, for our sublime Lord.

“The Lord thinketh upon me.”

(Psalm 40:17)

“Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.”

(Ephesians 4:23)