Grow Closer to God Through Wonder and the Redeemed Imagination

Why is it that the older we grow, the more we lose our sense of wonder? Time and again, I’ve asked myself why imagination is viewed as childlike and cynicism as a sign of maturity. But let’s not forget that wonder and imagination are the reason we have airplanes, the Eiffel Tower and Ratatouille (the movie, although the food looks great as well).

Wonder is a quality that Jesus highly values. He even told His disciples that unless they became like children, they wouldn’t enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3). I believe He wasn’t saying disciples must be immature; rather, they should have the same trust, faith and open-mindedness as children. Jesus was calling His disciples to childlike faith and wonder.

Wonder and imagination are imperative to our relationship with God. If we lose these key ingredients, we sabotage our relationship with God and close ourselves off to learning more about Him. Potentially, a loss of wonder can lead us to cynicism, rather than leaning on faith even when we don’t understand. I believe it is essential we return to childlike wonder.

What is Wonder?

Merriam-Webster defines wonder as a cause of astonishment or admiration: marvel. It also defines it as rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one’s experience.

In the Bible, wonder usually points to God and the incredible things He does. Exodus 15:11 says, “Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”

Here, the word wonders means a miracle or a marvelous thing. It means something extraordinary and surpassing one’s power. (Strong’s H6382). Here, wonders means something so wild and extraordinary it points directly to God. It points to something so incredible it cannot have its origin in humanity. It is something that demands a response of awe, worship and reverence.

I believe that if we leaned more into wonder in our relationship with God, we would strengthen our faith and expect God to do greater and better things than we could ever imagine. Why make our prayers small when He is a God of wonders? When we see God as a child sees something beautiful and unexplainable, we get to see Him more clearly and we learn that He is limitless and all-powerful.

What Does Wonder Look Like?

Think about it this way. Imagine being four years old and watching a magician pull a bunny out of a hat. You would be wildly impressed, but you wouldn’t be cynical about what tricks the magician employed, what distraction tactics he used, or whether he is treating the bunny with care or should be reported for animal cruelty. No. In this scenario, you have the eyes of a child. You see something incredible, and your only response is “Wow!”. You know that, if the magician did that with his hat, he must have way more tricks up his sleeve. The possibilities are endless!

This, I believe, is the kind of childlike wonder Jesus wants of His disciples; the wonder that sees something indescribable and instead of looking for evidence or answers, simply trusts and expects to see greater things from the Father.

Unfortunately, the older we get (whether it be in physical or spiritual years) the more cynical we become and the less wonder we cultivate in our lives. But God is a God of wonders. Like Exodus says, God is incredible, fearful and always working wonders. He always has something new up His sleeve and He is eagerly waiting for us to look up to Him with wide eyes full of trust, admiration and devotion.

When Did We Stop Believing God Could Do Incredible Things?

Here’s the thing, cynicism can never help cultivate wonder. In fact, it kills it. The only way in the Kingdom to keep wonder alive is to have childlike faith believing that God is always up to something good, awesome and incredible. He does it in our favor. He is working on our behalf behind the scenes. If we want to keep wonder alive, we cannot allow cynicism to take root in our hearts. If we do, we will constantly focus on all the distractions of the enemy and we will miss the miraculous moment when God pulls the bunny out of the hat (so to speak).

So let’s not choke the seeds of wonder, rather, let us feed them with childlike faith and the redeemed imagination God has given us.

What is the Redeemed Imagination?

It seems to me like imagination in the Christian world is rarely talked about in the context of growing in our relationship with God. I believe that, in part, this is because humanity has long used the imagination for evil rather than for good. But think about it this way: God gave humanity an imagination before they fell into sin. We had brains before Satan tempted Eve and humanity descended into chaos. Now that Christ has made redemption available through the cross, why would He not redeem our minds and imaginations as well? Why would He not use our imaginations to cultivate wonder?

Romans 12:2 talks about the renewed mind in one of the most well-known verses:

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” – Romans 12:2, NKJV

This tells me that the mind, and in turn the imagination, is in fact renewable. It is redeemable. And if the imagination is such a powerful weapon the enemy can wield against us, why should it not be a much more powerful weapon when infused with the power of the Spirit?

The redeemed imagination (the mind used through the influence of the Spirit to think of what is pure, good, and holy) is a powerful weapon or tool that can lead us closer to God’s heart. 

Personally, God has spoken to me many times through my imagination. It will happen when I’m praying, and suddenly He gives me a mental picture of a tree with a swing where I am sitting and He is spending time with me. Or He will give me a mental image of us sitting on a tree branch overlooking the sunset and drinking hot-chocolate together while wrapped in a blanket. He’s also given me a snapshot of me sitting on His lap in front of the big fireplace He has in His palace. God has used all these “imagination snapshots” to speak to me, comfort me, and give me peace.

When we let God use our imagination, there is so much meaning and beauty that He can communicate to us. He can use our mind in countless ways to speak to us, guide us, and comfort us. He uses our imagination to feed and grow wonder. Think about it, He uses our imagination to think of all the things He is capable of and all the ways He loves us.

How Do We Know if a Thought Is From God or Not?

But what if you’re afraid you’ll imagine something that’s not from Him? What if you see, or imagine, wrong? Here is the key for this: Anything that comes into your imagination has to align with the Bible. If it does not, then you can reject it. See it as a knock on the door you don’t have to answer. You don’t have to take a bad thought, welcome it, and serve it tea, entertaining it all evening long. You can simply say, “No. I will not think about this nor pay it any attention.” Is it easy? No. But if you do it time and time again, you’ll eventually get the hang of it.

When you get a thought that aligns with the Word of God, when you imagine something that reflects who He is, then you can take it and use it as encouragement to draw you closer to God and to wonder at Him and all He can do.

How Can We Grow in Wonder With God?

So how do we grow in wonder with God? How do we let our imagination be used by Him? I have some keys to share with you that will help you get started with this. And if you’re already using your imagination to grow in wonder and draw closer to God, keep going at it! There’s so much He still wants to show you.

Here are six practical keys to grow in wonder and let our minds be used by God:

• Let the Word of God be your foundation. Everything you hear, see, imagine or speak should align with the Bible. He may speak to you in unique ways, but He will always do so according to His Word and character. Read the Bible, study it, meditate on it.
• Discover how God speaks to you. Remember that God speaks your language. Try different things. God could speak to you through words, phrases, colors, sounds, smells, mental pictures, nature, books, music, other people, etc.
• Ask God to show you something. When you pray, ask Him to show you where He is and what He is doing. Then let Him use your imagination. Do the same when reading the Bible. Visualize what you are reading, and ask God to keep speaking.
• Ask God questions. This is essential. God is so creative, that if we only asked more questions I believe He would reveal more of what He wants to do. When you pray for peace, and God says He is your comforter, ask Him what this looks like. Let it play out in your mind and let Him speak to you. In the Bible, David frequently inquired of the Lord and He continually got more insight.
• Remember all the things God has done. One of the best ways to grow in wonder is to remember what God has already done. Remember how He has shown up time and again, how He has provided, healed, and restored. When we repeat all that God has done, we cannot help but be amazed (and wonder) at all He is and can do.
• Worship. This is one of the keys to opening up our lives to the wonder of who God is. If you want to grow in wonder, constantly singing of who God is and what He has done will inspire you to open your mind and spirit to all the possibilities with Him. Remember, what we magnify in our lives will become our focus. Magnify God and soon your imagination will be consumed with Him and the endless possibilities in His heart.

Thank you for reading!
Anna

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Photo by Sami Matias Breilin on Unsplash