The Pietist Schoolman

This year, as several before, I joined other members of Salem Covenant Church in contributing to a devotional to be used by our congregation throughout the season of Lent and into Holy Week. This year’s theme (not just for the devotional, but for all of our ministries) is “An Adventurous Spirituality.” My contribution came up this morning — it’s reproduced below:

“…stop and consider God’s wonders.” (Job 37:14b, NIV)

Read Job 37:14-24

As long as he’s been praying, my four-year old son has started his prayers with the same eight words: “Dear God, thank you for this wonderful day.” I’d love to know and thank whoever taught him to pray like this. I’m quite sure it wasn’t me.

“Wonderful” is not a word I use nearly often enough. My ears hear it as an expression of false exuberance or weary sarcasm more easily than genuine awe or joy. But I hear Isaiah say “wonderful” and realize that, to him, each and every day truly does bring wonders: sensations and experiences that are completely new to him, and beyond his comprehension. Whereas those of us who have grown older and — we think — wiser start to experience the world as repeating itself (“Oh, another sunset”) and, alas, not always living up to our expectations of it. We encounter Creation and respond with a shrug, or a sneer.

But if we are to live as people on an adventure, we need to be reminded — as Elihu does for Job — to “stop and consider God’s wonders.” Our proper posture as creatures is one of amazement at the ongoing work of God, who calls us “out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9b, NIV).

Dear God,
Thank you for this wonderful day.
Amen.

I’ve also published my earlier Salem Lenten devotionals:

• Stay Awake (Matt 26:36-46, 2010)
• The God Who Grieves (John 16:16-33, 2011)
• Compelled (2 Cor 5:12-21, 2012)