Faith in a Time of Pandemic – I Thank You God for the Wonder of My Being

XVI.
I THANK YOU GOD FOR THE WONDER OF MY BEING
I praise you because I am fearfully [awesomely] and wonderfully made; wonderful are your works. That I know well! (Psalm 139:14)

When I was taking a course on spirituality at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation three decades ago, I learned a sung prayer, “I thank you God for the wonder of my being,” which we repeated three times at certain intervals in the class.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel asserted that radical amazement is at the heart of religion. Amazement at the wonder of life, the spinning planets, our various bodily systems (circulatory, nervous, immune, and so forth.) The amazing process of seeing, talking, or thinking, and your own unique creativity and personality. You are wonder-full.

Often we fail to realize how wonderful our lives are in terms of their complexity and beauty. Once again, take a moment to think of all the complex processes that allow you to read this text. Millions of processes each millisecond.

So today, listen to your life. Consider the wonder that it is. Consider your gifts. Consider what you add to the world by simply being yourself. You are irreplaceable and someone needs your care right now. Give thanks for God’s presence in your life. Give thanks for your gifts. Give thanks for your ability to share your gifts with others. Give thanks for yourself for you are awesomely and wonderfully made.

I thank you God for the wonder of my being. I thank you God for all the gifts you have given me and the opportunity to share them with others. Amen.

Bruce Epperly is a Cape Cod pastor, professor, and author of over 50 books, including FAITH IN A TIME OF PANDEMIC, FINDING GOD IN SUFFERING: A JOURNEY WITH JOB, and PIGLET’S PROCESS: PROCESS THEOLOGY FOR ALL GOD’S CHILDREN