In my weekly Works & Wonders article, I combine a brief devotional with other uplifting bits and pieces. These can be stories, poems, songs, photos, articles, quotes—just about anything I found enjoyable in the week that was or that I am looking forward to in the week to come.
1.
A Lord’s Day Devotional. It is right and good to thank God for his gifts. We are to give thanks “always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). We would be remiss if we failed to thank God for life and health, food and shelter, love and grace. Yet we need to be careful that we do not come to love the gifts more than the giver—to honor God more for what he gives than for who he is. If we wish to truly delight in God, we must not do less than consider his gifts, but do more—we must consider God himself. For the deepest spiritual delight comes not from pondering the things God has given us, but from meditating upon who God is. It is when we ponder his beauty and perfections, his essence and character, that we come to appreciate him most, to find wonder and awe in him. “If the wicked love God, it is only for his benefits,” says Henry Smith. But God’s children love him because he is so lovable—so perfectly worthy of our delight.
Spiritual delight in God arises chiefly from his beauty and perfection, not from the gifts he gives us.
Jonathan Edwards
2.
The Gettys recently released a live album of recordings from last year’s Sing! conference. It’s not just them, of course, but also their guests: CityAlight, Fernando Ortega, Sandra McCracken, and others. Jubilant Sykes’ rendition of “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” is a remarkable piece of vocal art and seems particularly poignant after his tragic death. The whole album is an enjoyable listen. Here’s the YouTube playlist queued up to the opening song:
(If you can’t see the video, click here to pull it up on YouTube. You can also find the album on your favorite music app.)
3.
This week brought a surprise announcement about an upcoming Tolkien movie. We already knew about The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which is due to be released next year, but now we know that there will also be at least one other movie. The online complainerati are already panning it, but I’m daring to be optimistic and forcing myself to hope these films recover at least a bit of the magic that went missing from The Hobbit and The Rings of Power. Does it sound like I’m trying to talk myself into it? I probably am.
4.
Earlier this week, I read and reviewed Kevin Burrell’s Considering Sparrows, and it got me thinking about my favorite bird photos. I have photographed a lot of them over the years—from eagles to parrots and from hummingbirds to ostriches. But I think my favorite might be this simple photo I snapped on the border of Namibia and Botswana. There’s just something about the starkness, symmetry, and simplicity of it that I love.
5.
Here’s a fitting Sunday morning prayer by Alexander Maclaren.
Lord, sometimes you surprise your followers with abundance. May it be so with us this morning! If it pleases you, come into our assembly.
Although our petitions and praises are poor, compared with what they ought to be, grant your gracious Spirit to each of us. May we feel that it is no vain thing to wait upon the Lord.
We commit ourselves to your gracious care. Remember all whom we remember. Speak your grace to waiting souls, and in love rebuke the forgetful ones. Draw us all out of the mire in which we are too apt to walk, set our feet upon the rock, and establish our way. Amen.
(As found in Joy of Heaven: Prayers of the Revivals)
6.
I got thinking this week about study Bibles that have been renamed and relaunched in recent years. I can think of several:
- The NIV Spiritual Habits Bible was formerly the NIV Lifehacks Bible
- The One Story Bible was formerly The Story of Redemption Bible
- The NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible was formerly the NIV Zondervan Study Bible
I don’t know why all three of these Bibles were relaunched, but I would assume it was to reposition them in the marketplace. It allows them to be redesigned, rebranded, and refocused. All three were excellent products before, and all three are excellent products now. (Those who have been around for a while may remember another one from the 90s: Ligonier’s Reformation Study Bible was based on The New Geneva Study Bible.)
7.
I am on my way to Zambia and, for the sake of minimizing the rising costs of travel, I opted to book with Kenya Airways rather than one of the more mainline carriers. Some Kenyan friends assured me I would come to rue this decision. Either way, it left me with an 11-hour layover in Paris. Today I find myself especially thankful for airline lounges and their policy that, if you arrive on a connecting flight, you can use them for as long as you wish. I didn’t care to head into the city, so I spent all 11 hours in an airline lounge. It almost perfectly aligned with what would have been my workday at home, so it was actually quite a pleasant experience. Now onwards to Nairobi and from there to Ndola, where I will be leading a conference for prospective writers.
