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Never “Get Over God:” Reclaiming Wonder

Never “Get Over God:” Reclaiming Wonder

Last updated on: August 6, 2026 at 8:56 pm by Benjamin Raven Pressley

Never “Get Over God:” Reclaiming Wonder 2026-08-06T20:56:19-04:00 Benjamin Raven Pressley

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Who is God to you? Is he just an angry bearded old man sitting on a throne, casting lightning bolts at you when you mess up? What about Jesus Christ? I hate the way he is depicted in some art, looking all weak, anemic and constipated. I’m not being disrespectful because I certainly don’t see him that way. I am in love with the almighty God and Creator that the scriptures say I can call Daddy. That’s what ‘Abba’ means (as cited in Mark 14:36, Romans 8:15, and Galatians 4:6). I’m in love and wonder at a God that so loved sinful humankind that he gave his son Jesus Christ to die upon a cross and rise up from a grave, conquering death, hell and the grave.

Who Do You Say He Is?

Is our view of God important? Well, Jesus thought it was important enough that one day when he was gathered with his disciples he asked them the question “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah (the Christ, Anointed One), the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:13-20)

What Rock was he talking about? Not Simon Peter as some believe. He was saying on what Simon Peter said, on his declaration, on the established fact that he said, and on the Rock which is Jesus Christ, he would build his church.

The Biblical Word For Wonder

Throughout the Torah, Psalms and the Prophets we see the Hebrew word Pele used at least thirteen times. A word that translates ‘Wonder’ and ‘Marvel’.

“Who is like You among the gods, O Lord?
Who is like You, majestic in holiness,
Awesome in splendor, working wonders?”
Exodus 15:11

In Psalms 77, Asaph, one of David’s three chief musicians, proclaims God’s wondrous works as he is reminded of how God brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea: “I will [solemnly] remember the deeds of the Lord; Yes, I will [wholeheartedly] remember Your wonders of old. I will meditate on all Your works and thoughtfully consider all Your [great and wondrous] deeds. Your way, O God, is holy [far from sin and guilt]. What god is great like our God? You are the [awesome] God who works [powerful] wonders;
You have demonstrated Your power among the people.”

Passing the Torch: Discipling the Next Generation

And in Psalms 78 he proclaims the importance of communicating to our children how wondrous God is: “I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done…That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.”

Ask yourself, what God have I portrayed to my children? In 1967, U.S. President Ronald Reagan said: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” And I believe it is the same when it comes to the gospel. Faith is certainly not inherited biologically, but must be actively taught. A common ministerial observation is that the first generation knows the gospel deeply, the second generation assumes it, and the third generation forgets it. I am proclaiming the call for churches and parents to wake up and intentionally disciple youth so the message is not dropped.

Psalms 88 laments: “Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction? Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?” This sad lament makes me want to cry out all the more the wonders of our loving God. It is as if the author is lamenting that no one in the land of the living is proclaiming his wonders and reminding us that the dead certainly can’t proclaim it. It is up to us to proclaim this wondrous God who so longs to be a loving Father to his children.

Psalms 89 proclaims: “Thy seed will I establish forever, and build up thy throne to all generations. And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?”

Encountering the Creator in Creation

What do you see when you stand on the shore and look at the ocean or behold nature? Do you think of the God that created it? “O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.” (Psalms 89:8-9). I love getting out in nature and feeling his presence in the wind as it blows through my hair and feeling the warmth of the sun on my face. Everyone needs to get out of the house now and then and away from computers and phones and just be amazed by what God has created for our pleasure and praise and thank him for it.

There is hardly a day that goes by that I do not allow my bare feet to feel the soil beneath my feet. There is something about my bare feet walking upon the surface of the earth that is like my skin touching the skin of my closest friend as I walk. It is out here in the wild where I feel most alive. It is out here that I can feel the energy of all creation and feel the Creator’s blood as it pumps through every living thing I touch, for he has truly connected all things. His breath is in the wind. His embrace is felt in the warmth of the sun as it shines upon me. His heartbeat is one with mine as my feet walk upon the surface of earth like the beating upon the skin of a drum. I see his smile in the night when the moon is upon its final phase. He waves at me from the wings of the eagle and the dove. He sings to me from every babbling brook and the wind in the trees and the crackling of the fire. His blood flows through mine as I feed upon the food he has given from his own hand. And he loves me through that one special one that he has sent into my life.

Do you see what I mean? He is all around you if you will just open your eyes and train your spiritual awareness. It doesn’t come naturally due to man’s fallen nature, but it can be nurtured. Ask him to make you aware of his presence.

Do you rejoice in God sending his son? Are you still full of wonder that Christ was born or is it just a pretty Christmas story? “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

“O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee. For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.” (Isaiah 25:1, 3, 4)

I Never Got Over It

I was born again in 1975 and was so excited about what God had done for me and I remember someone saying to me, ‘You will get over it’. Can you believe that? I have never got over it! I still love the Lord more than ever. I have been homeless, ran around on, hungry and not knowing where my next meal would come from; I have been sick with cancer and didn’t know if I was going to live or die, but I can tell you he was faithful. He got me through it all. I don’t have a lot of material wealth to this day and I am getting old, but I am still awestruck and filled with wonder at what an awesome God he is. If I had to choose between wealth and God, I would choose God.

Has your experience with God grown cold or do you love him more today than ever before? Perhaps it is time to rekindle that fire within.

“Shall I tell you how to recognize the breath that you breathe? Shall I teach you how to recognize your own heart’s beat? I am the essence of all created things. If you have seen me you have seen the Creator. I am that I am.” –Raven

Read about Jesus and fall in love with him fresh and new. Be filled with the wonder of a child. Surround yourself with others who love Jesus and talk about him. Minister to others like Jesus did. When you open up your heart of love to others, you will feel his love.

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Practical Steps to Renew Your Wonder

Take daily wonder breaks: Step outside to look closely at a plant, a cloud, or a small detail in nature that reflects brilliant design.
Shift from rushing to listening: Turn prayer into a two-way street by sitting quietly to meditate on God’s character instead of just listing requests.
Keep a gratitude journal: Write down unexpected moments of beauty or kindness each day to train your eyes to spot God’s work more clearly.

https://wp-media.patheos.com/blogs/sites/2216/2026/08/wonder.mp3

Thanks for reading this week’s blog. I hope it challenges you to renew your wonder of God. He is not just a religion or a judge you answer to. He loves you. I hope you will share this study with your friends and social media. If you would rather listen rather than read just click ‘Play’ above and be sure to enjoy the Youtube video below.

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About Benjamin Raven Pressley

Benjamin Raven Pressley is an author, teacher and spiritual guide. He is of Cherokee heritage. He has been a follower of the teachings of Jesus Christ and the apostles since 1975. His independent studies include the Holy Bible as well as other holy books of other religions. He is ordained by the Universal Life Church. He is a self-taught naturalist and his love and respect for nature is evident in many of the things he writes. He has authored several books on spirituality as well as a fantasy series and books on survival skills. He does not consider himself to be a religious person but believes true spirituality is an all-encompassing view of life and invites open discussion on matters of spirituality. You can read more about the author here.

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