1. Wonder Focuses Our Worship in the Right Direction
We’re all wired to worship, so everyone worships something.
We can devote ourselves to God by giving our relationship with him first place in our lives. Or, we can devote more time and energy to something else that becomes an idol by distracting us from God. Just about anything in our lives can turn into an idol: work, power, money, possessions, sex, fitness, leisure, success, appearance, drugs, relationships, education, titles, sports teams, and even religious activities.
Encountering wonder directs our attention to God, who made that wonder possible. The more we feel in awe of something God has done, the more we remember to focus on God rather than on idols. As we do, we can notice and enjoy God’s presence with us.
Wonder also helps us approach God in worship with pure motives. Since wonder gives us powerful glimpses of God’s love, it inspires us to respond by expressing love back to God. God is looking for pure worship—an exchange of genuine love with us.
God isn’t interested in simply seeing us perform religious duties; he wants loving relationships with us. We must set aside impure motives of guilt, pride, obligation, or manipulation for worshiping God. When we feel awe, our perspective expands so we can perceive more of God’s great love, which leads us to respond with pure worship.
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