I ask you to pause and do a little marveling. Ponder right now who God is and what He has done for you. Read this great excerpt from my Believer’s Commentary: “The converted person boasts in the Lord—not in his own character or achievements. When we understand the gospel of grace we realize that we did all the sinning and He did all the saving. So our boast must be in Him alone.”
We did all the sinning. He did all the saving. He is good to us every single day. Even when we don’t notice it.
What does it mean to marvel?
To marvel means to be amazed, be surprised, be astonished, be awed, stand in awe, wonder, stare, gape, be dumbfounded, be flabbergasted.
Let’s look at scene right out of the Word of God:
“Jacob left Beersheba and went to Haran. He came to a certain place and camped for the night since the sun had set. He took one of the stones there, set it under his head and lay down to sleep. And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground and it reached all the way to the sky; angels of God were going up and going down on it.
“Then God was right before him, saying, ‘I am God, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. I’m giving the ground on which you are sleeping to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will be as the dust of the Earth; they’ll stretch from west to east and from north to south. All the families of the Earth will bless themselves in you and your descendants. Yes. I’ll stay with you, I’ll protect you wherever you go, and I’ll bring you back to this very ground. I’ll stick with you until I’ve done everything I promised you.’
“Jacob woke up from his sleep. He said, ‘God is in this place—truly. And I didn’t even know it!’ He was terrified. He whispered in awe, ‘Incredible. Wonderful. Holy. This is God’s House. This is the Gate of Heaven'” (Gen. 28:10-17, MSG).
It’s so easy get sucked into the rat race of life and completely miss the idea that there are angels all around us, encamping around those who fear the Lord, serving and assisting us, going with us on our journey through life.
We are not alone. Not even a little bit. Far greater are those who are for us than those who are against us.
May the eyes of our hearts open up right now; may we be more keenly aware of God’s divine presence all around us. May we understand on a deeper level the resources and assistance to which we have access. Imagine—God there for you, pulling for you; the Son interceding for you day and night; the Holy Spirit nudging you, correcting you, convicting you, assuring you, all for your benefit; the angels assisting you, cheering for you, protecting you. You are someone important!
In 2011, around Christmas, I had a number of heavy things weighing on my heart, when all of the sudden Selah’s Christmas song “Joy!” came on the radio. Instantly, my perspective lifted and my heart swelled with joy. I hopped out of my sink—oh, um, that’s where I sit to do my makeup—and I started dancing around my bedroom. I was doing a happy dance. The Marvel Dance.
Try it today. Put on a great song. Look up. Make yourself smile (I don’t know why, but this does something for the soul), and do the Marvel Dance.
In quieter moments, marvel with your heart’s perspective. Be amazed; be astonished; wonder and stare at the story of the Christ-child, and be in awe that He would hand Himself over in such a vulnerable way. For you.
Regardless of the state of things around you, marvel today because you are surrounded by a host of heavenly angels cheering you on. Hear the noise in heaven; they’re all talking at the same time! But there’s harmony because they all want the same thing for you: to live in the light of God’s presence and to walk out the divine, world-changing call on your life. Marvel at the thought of that.
Smile today. Keep Smiling. Dance today. Keep dancing. Marvel today. Keep marveling.
Susie Larson is an author, speaker and radio host for KTIS in Minnesota and Focus on the Family. Visit Susie’s web site at susielarson.com.
Janet Perez Eckles 
Shawn Akers 
Abby Trivett 
