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Today we conclude our sermon series on three different types of prayer. The first week of our series we looked at the most common type of prayer that many of us offer to God, “help” - help for me or help for someone else, help for our broken world. The second week we explored another type of prayer commonly offered “thank you”. Perhaps one of the first prayers we learn to offer around the family dinner table. However, this week we are going to dive into a prayer that we do not pray often enough “wow.”
Author Anne Lamott states, “Wow, is often offered with a gasp, a sharp intake of breath, when we can’t think of another way to capture the sight of shocking beauty”. Wow are prayers of amazement. Prayers of praise for those things in life so beautiful that we take our breath away. A few examples from my own life.
As I write this sermon I see a picture of the sun setting over a bay of water. Orange and full as it disappears in its brilliance through clouds scattered across the sky. I can tell you the exact spot where that picture was taken and that it reminds me of the conversation I was having with a dear friend shortly before it was taken about who God is and why we need God in our lives. That picture and the conversation surrounding it are intricately linked and remind me of just how beautiful, grand, powerful, and creative God is.
And as I write this sermon the picture of my computer is one that simply takes my breath away. It is of a sunrise on a farm. The entire sky is yellow and deep orange. I can tell you that when that picture was taken, I had barely slept in days. It was taken on the morning I was camping. When I woke up before everyone else to be in a time of prayer, but instead the only prayer I could utter was “Wow, God.” In that moment I felt enveloped by God’s peace and presence. Which I am reminded of every time I look at this picture.
“Wow” moments like this, and so many others are connected to wonder and lead us to worship. Wow moments can come from reading a piece of poetry, seeing a beautiful sight, coming alongside a child who is learning new things. They can shine forth in nature or ring true in our hearts through music. Wow moments cause us to realize something new about God’s love for us or capture our heart anew with an old truth that we have too quickly forgotten. The Psalmists this morning reminds us that God has done glorious things and is worthy of our praise - do we live like this?
More “wow” moments from my own life. When I was in college I traveled with a group of religion students over winter break to Israel, right after the boarders had been reopened. All around us we saw signs of destruction and the pain of two groups in a seemingly endless battle. But in the midst of so many breaking hearts, we entered into an old cathedral make of large stones and with high ceilings. Without any prompting we started to sing the Doxology together, as our voices echoed against the stone. We made a joyful noise unto the Lord.
In seminary I was required to lead an interactive Christian Education class in the chapel. It was a long lesson, and I was cleaning up the chapel getting ready for our service of communion and prayer. As I was cleaning I was humming one of my favorite praise songs when all of a sudden someone across the room started to sing out loud the words I was thinking in my mind “Lord I’m ready for a change, only you can make me change.” We started to sing with one another until we heard a gasp - another seminary student was standing behind us. He told us that the harmony and words we were singing we rippling through his heart.
The prophets, the Psalmists, the gospel writers, and the apostles all tell us the same thing about God - God alone is to be praised. God alone has done great and wondrous things. In the words of today’s prayer - God alone deserves our amazement - but do we live this way? Do we first think of God when we are cuddling with a cooing newborn, or hugging a beloved friend, or reading a passage in a book that stirs something in our spirits? Do these powerful life moments lead us to praise God? Or do we too quickly take them for grantit.
Some people who study language believe that “wow” is a contraction of “I vow”. I vow to remember. I vow to never forget. I vow to cherish this moment. Do we live like that? Do we proclaim prayers of amazement enough in our lives? Do we thank God for those moments that leave us almost speechless and transform something inside of us? Those moments that act like a mini-resurrection, bringing us closer to God and reminding us that God is ultimately in control?
The sad truth is that sometimes we look past the great gifts that God is trying to offer us - those moments of amazement. We forget what Isaiah is trying to speak to the people about - that we are to exalt God, praising God’s name, because God is faithful in giving us more gifts than we can ever deserve.
One last example of a moment of amazement from my life - an experience was at my first year of the Creation Concert, Christian Woodstock. As I was just letting go and singing my heart out to God during one of the Newsboys concerts, there were not one, not two, but three shooting stars that came across the sky. We later found out that the appearance of three shooting stars together rarely happens but it was a God-moment for me. I could only gasp and hold my hands up in praise.
Now there were over fifty thousand people in the open field that evening who could have and should have sen those stars. But only a few of us did and spoke about them later. Why? Because sometimes we live our lives as if we are too busy to take notice of the moments God is trying to gift us with. We don’t live with intentionally or we overlook the work of God’s gracious hand.
I want to challenge us as we go forth this week to do two things: First, think back to your own life over the moments of amazement - those moments that took your breath away and drew you closer to God. If you haven’t thanked God for those times, take time to do so this week. Write them down and pray over them. Secondly, be open and attentive to the “wow” moments around you this week - because I promise you they exist. Live in such a way that doesn’t take for granite all that God is trying to give you. All that God is trying to do to draw you into worship.
Let us go forth being the people who proclaim “how, O God, can I keep from singing your praise” because of all of the amazing things God is doing amongst and through us. Amen!
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