Please welcome Pastor Buff Delcamp to the Daily Bible Blast writing team. Merry Christmas.
Every year, the mysterious Magi lumber into our manger scenes. In reality they weren’t there the night Christ was born. They may have arrived a year later. But here’s the rub. After hundreds and hundreds of miles in laborious travel, after months and years of searching, studying, contemplating, they made it.
And their first reaction was “they were overjoyed” – they had JOY that was over the top. Other translations say “exceeding great joy” and another says “they could hardly contain themselves.”
When they came in, they bowed down and they worshipped. True worship has this aspect of it. It’s not simply ascribing praise and adoration to God, it is being near to God so He is personally, overwhelmingly compelling. I see there a simple wonder in this great encounter.
Wonder is that which takes over after everything has been explained. It’s something I think I’ve lost at times. Do we try to explain too much? Is there anything in life with God that simply leaves us amazed and speechless? I want to be more and more open to that. And it isn’t simply in worship gatherings, but also when we see the way our God works in our lives.
The wonder that He can change a heart, that He can turn a life around 180°. The wonder of His ordering of time and circumstances to affect endings we can’t see from the beginning. The wonder of His mercy, His patience year after year. Don’t lose the capacity to see and then to be overjoyed at the wonder of our God with us – Emmanuel.
