The psalmist says, “I will remember the works of the Lord, and call to mind your wonders of old time.” Scripture is replete with stories of God’s “mighty deeds,” as the psalmist calls them, of all the ways God reaches into the lives of God’s people with mercy and love. Just look at our lesson from the Hebrew scriptures today: the story of the chariot of fire carrying Elijah into heaven and confirmation of the passing of the prophetic mantle to Elisha—wondrous, indeed. So wondrous, and so foreign to our every day life that it is easy for us to think, “Yeah, but that was in the Bible,” to assume that God doesn’t do those wondrous things in this day and age.

How erroneous is such thinking! God is just as active in our lives today: creating, redeeming, sanctifying, of course, as well as all the other ways we may experience God’s hand at work in our lives, calling, guiding, revealing, inspiring, healing, comforting, manifesting, blessing, abiding, providing, birthing, forgiving, rescuing, teaching, nurturing, upholding, sheltering, feeding, and on, and on, and on. Our problem is that, all too often, we are asleep at the switch, not paying attention, going through life on autopilot. We don’t notice God’s faithful presence in and around us 24/7, meeting us where we are, as we are. We’re sort of like the fish wondering where the ocean that he’s heard so much about is, as he is swimming in it.

When, however, something happens to get our attention, to pull us up short, to open our eyes to God’s presence in our lives, it’s like a light bulb turns on for us. In the light of God’s grace, we can now look back on our lives and begin to see where, in good times and bad, we recognize all “the works of the Lord” that have brought us to this day. The salvation history of God’s people described in scripture is incredible to behold, but our own personal salvation history is just as wondrous, unique for each of us. Once our eyes are opened to see how God has worked in our particular lives, we can’t help but be alert to and aware of God’s presence day by day, to realize that “the God who works wonders” in scripture is working in each of our lives this very day to encourage our hearts as we journey on.