“Praise be to the Lord, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege” (Ps 31:21).
In 2017 like many people around the world I had the high privilege of rediscovering wonder. The clouds were thick and rain was imminent but we were desperate. We kept driving and driving before we realized we had to stop. We pulled over on a side road and got out of our cars and set up our chairs under the thick clouds. It seemed disappointment was on the menu, but how wrong we were.
After an hour or so of sitting, all of a sudden there was a brief break in the clouds. And suddenly the moon aligned itself in front of the sun and we saw the most amazing natural wonder we have ever seen – a total eclipse! It was so extraordinary that the young people near us burst out in total awe. It truly was a spiritual experience that you just can’t even explain.
It was the discovery of wonder.
“Praise be to the Lord for he showed me the wonders of his love…”.
When I look back at 2017 it was also a year of wonder in other ways. It was the “wonders of his love.” I was in impossible, impossible situations but God intervened in 3 areas that I literally believed were unchangeable. And while it wasn’t the wonder that was instantaneous and breath-taking, it was the slow experience that God often gives. There was healing and impossible people situations that brought unexpected change. It was wonder even if it was in slow-motion. After reading this Scripture I now see these events as the “wonders of his love.” I had absolutely nothing left to give when God came in. But truly, I felt like a city under siege.
I’ve never been in a city when it’s under siege but I’ve toured them. In ancient times an enemy would surround a city and cut off their water supply. While they were working to penetrate the walls to take in their military, they didn’t need to rush the process as thirst and starvation would do its own work. Armies were patient and didn’t mind taking months and years to take down a city.
Siege is awful.
Sometimes life feels like what it might have felt like when a city was under siege. There are seasons of the soul so unrelenting it feels impossible. In fact, outside of God these seasons are often impossible. But…
“Praise be to the Lord, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege” (Ps 31:21).
Sometimes it is in the most darkest hours of the soul and under the most impossible circumstances that a break in the clouds part for just a moment and we get to see the wonders of his love. His love has never left, it’s just that the clouds have obscured our ability to see reality.
It’s the wonder of his love.
It may not always be “felt” but it is real. I want to experience it, see it and be grateful for it.
And this morning I’m thanking the Lord for the wonder of his love in the past few years.