July 14, 2025
“The world will never starve for want of wonders,
but only for want of wonder.”
Psalm 8:1–4
Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
2 Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield, who spent 166 days aboard the International Space Station, described the view of Earth from orbit as “a profound silence and a breathtaking beauty that made you feel both insignificant and infinitely connected.” That contradiction, feeling small yet deeply seen, is the echo of Psalm 8.
David writes:
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place—what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”
David likely wrote this under a covering of stars, stretched out on a hillside as a shepherd. He was conscious and alive with wonder. What David experienced was awe. A writer put it like this “He’s not trying to solve a mystery, he’s caught in one."
To be in wonder is to live in the posture of wonder and awe. It’s about being open to God’s glory. Now, David doesn’t just glance at the sky. The Hebrew word for “consider” here (ra’ah) means to look attentively, to reflect, to reverence. Another way of saying it is that David, lets the heavens preach. Reminds us of another Psalm, the beautiful Psalm 19 that highlights the speech of creation.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
The message of Psalm 8 above is overwhelming: "what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?" the Psalmist asks. The God who shaped the heavens knows our name.
Did you notice that in Psalm 19:3 it says that we can only hear the message of wonder when we are still and quiet. "They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out ...."
In a world hooked on speed and noise, this kind of stillness is almost radical. But it’s in those quiet moments—when we aren’t striving or scrolling, that we begin to truly hear and see. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Stillness precedes knowing. Wonder precedes worship.
Wonder is deeply theological. It reminds us we are creatures, not the Creator. We receive the gifts offered, and worship the Giver. That is what Proverbs 9:10 calls us to, I believe, to a life lived in “the fear of the Lord”, “fear” here is not terror, but trembling awe. An overwhelming wonder. The beginning of wisdom.
In our worship yesterday, the talk suggested that maybe the best theologians of wonder are children. Watch a child stare wide-eyed at the moon and stars or squat to examine an ant. They don’t overthink it, they just take it all in. Total delight. Total wonder. Their reactions are full of awe. Children teach us something profound. Perhaps that is part of what Jesus meant when he said “Unless you become like little children…” (Matt. 18:3). Wonder is a childlike trust that knows how to pause and marvel.
Let's Pray
We stand in awe of Your glory—
the silent skies, the vast stars, the quiet beauty that speaks of You.
Thank You for being mindful of us.
In a noisy world, teach us to be still.
Open our eyes to see, our hearts to receive,
and our spirits to marvel at Your presence.
Like David under the stars, and children wide-eyed with wonder,
may we live with reverence,
delighting in Your gifts and worshiping You, the Giver.
Help us walk with you in quiet trust,
with hearts full of awe and lives shaped by wonder.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
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