Waiting for God to Show Up. Advent 12.12.12

Advent. A time of waiting, with expectation. With a 3 year old in the house it's hard not to get caught up in the Santa-ness of the season (he was singing "Santa was a baby" the other day...?) But deep in our hearts, what are we really waiting for? Sometimes I'm waiting for God to show up. I forget to look for Him everywhere, every moment. Yesterday our community was stunned by a headline-making senseless tragedy and I found myself drawing on the deep well of faith that shields and sustains me; knowing God will show up and he will redeem even this....yet I have to ask, how do I see the "wonder" when there is death and violence that seems to shatter hope.

As you may or may not know, I’ve been a fan of Margaret Feinberg and her books for the last few years. I recently received the insider’s scoop about Margaret’s new book  Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God. Here are some highlights from an interview with Margaret:

Where did the inspiration for the Wonderstruck 

book and Bible study come from?

Have you ever had one of those seasons where everything goes wrong, and when you think it can’t get worse, it somehow finds a way? Most people who have worked in ministry have experienced those seasons—some may be in one right now.

My husband, Leif, and I had just gone through one of the roughest years of our lives. In the aftermath, as we processed the pain and loss, I had an unexplainable desire in my heart. I began praying for the wonder of God. In essence, I said, “God reveal yourself, your whole self to me. I want to know you as Wonderful. I want to know you as I’ve never known you before and see you in places I’ve never recognized you before.”

God did not disappoint.

What do you mean by “the wonder of God”?

Sometimes talking or writing about wonder feels like tying kite strings to clouds. It’s ethereal, and you can never quite get a grip on it. But if you look in the dictionary, the two main definitions of wonder are: “being filled with admiration, amazement, or awe” and “to think or speculate curiously.”

Those definitions come together beautifully in our relationship with God. That’s why I define the wonder of God as those moments of spiritual awakening that create a desire to know God more.

In other words, the wonder of God isn’t about an emotional experience or having some cool story to tell your friends, but the wonder of God makes us want more of God—to go deeper and further than we’ve ever been before.

Why are you calling people to #LIVEWONDERSTRUCK?

If you look in the Gospels, what you’ll discover is that those who encountered Jesus were constantly left in wild amazement. They were awestruck by the teachings of Christ, the healings of Christ, the mind-bending miracles of Christ. Within the Gospel of Luke we see words like “awe” and “wonder” and “marvel” at every turn. If this is the natural response to encountering Christ, how much more should it be for you and I—who are invited to live in relationship with Christ as sons and daughters of our God Most High?  We even created a free PDF that looks at some of these Scriptures. 

For a free copy, email us at wonderstruck@margaretfeinberg.com and we’ll send you one.

You can learn more about this great book by visiting www.margaretfeinberg.com/wonderstruck where she’s offering some crazy promos right now with up to $300 of free stuff. I've ordered advance copies on Amazon for $7.57 and I've already downloaded my free 14 day journaling guide (my first New Year's resolution is in place!)

...waiting, watching, listening with an attitude of awe this season. What are you waiting for today? Do you dare to pray for God to reveal himself to you? He will not disappoint!

Grace and Peace to you this Advent