Lost Wonder: Power from the Writings of Luke

By Mike Jones

How is it that we can lose the wonder of God? Have we been so captivated by the mundane the things we can easily see and touch that we have lost sight of the godly things that require a little more effort to see? God tells us simply that we will find Him when we search for Him. Its not that it is hard; its just that we have to decide and then put forth the effort to do it.

In this book, you wont find a list; it is really nothing more than stories I have written of the wonder I found as I searched. I dont pastor a mega church. I am just an ordinary guy who draws an ordinary paycheck that has chosen to spend a good amount of his leisure time searching.

God does not reserve His wonder for mega church pastors. He reserves it for those who will search. It is within the reach of any who are thirsty enough to come; and for those who choose to come, they will find the Lost Wonder.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781479715152

Mike Jones

Mike Jones is an award-winning writer and creative producer who works across a variety mediums including books, screen, digital & interactive media.

Book preview

(1)

The Writer Must Write

For Christmas I received a decorative box for my writing pens. On the front was a quote from Hemmingway: A writer must write what he has to say, not speak it. It fits me perfectly. For years I tried to say what I had to say; but it rarely came out as clearly as I saw it in my mind. But with writing, I can stay with it until I have said exactly what I want to say and how I want to say it. Writing agrees with me.

As I begin my careful investigation of the writings of Luke, I have noticed a couple of things in this first chapter regarding writing. First, after a careful investigation of the things that had been handed down by eyewitnesses, Luke thought it good to write an orderly account of these facts. Though it was written specifically for Theophilus, in order that he could know the certainty of the things he had been taught, it became a written record for others down through the ages—and even us today—that we also might have the same certainty.

Some friends of ours own a farm in the Ozark hills of Missouri. One day we went for what was supposed to be a short ride on the four wheelers, but the first ridge we came to lead to another and then another. There are literally hundreds of miles of connecting trails. An occasional red ribbon marked particular turning points. People who were very familiar with the trails left the ribbons for those who were not. Those who were certain left ribbons so others could have the same certainty.

So now, as I begin my careful investigation of the things Luke has handed down, I do it partly to know for myself the certainty of the things I have been taught. But also I do it to produce a written record for my two sons. As Luke produced his written record for one, Theophilus, I produce mine for two. And after my careful investigation, I will leave these writings—ribbons—that they may know the certainty of the things they have been taught and come to believe.

The other thing I noticed was with Zachariah. He had more to say than ever, and yet the angel took away his voice. He was forced to write what he had to say. Maybe his writings became part of what Luke carefully investigated. Maybe that was the reason the angel struck him—so there would be a written record.

Maybe Luke, possibly not possessing the gift of speaking, had so much to say that he was compelled to write it. Maybe that is all by design. What if we didn’t have the written record? There is a reason for it.

Similarly with me, my writings may not be for ages to come, but I have more to say than any time in my life and I am compelled to write it. I stumble at speaking it; but with writing I can stay with it until I’ve said it best. Writing suits me.

Believing

As Luke is trying to produce an orderly account of the beginning of Christianity, part of it is in establishing that God did it. Similar to how the writer of Genesis handles the account of creation; it is not as much his intent to prove in order to persuade the unbeliever, as much as to proclaim in order to assure the believer.

The writer of Genesis establishes in just one verse the state of things at the time of creation. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. It is a bleak picture; but by the end of the chapter the picture has changed; and the believer comes away with one thing—the assurance that God did it.

Luke paints a similar picture in his first chapter. We know that Elizabeth will have a son, but Luke makes it clear that she has never been able to in spite of repeated unsuccessful efforts. Likewise, we know that Mary will have a son, but Luke makes it clear that she has never tried to have one—she shouldn’t have one. So once again the believer comes away with one thing; God did it.

Luke knew—God knew—that our believing would need help. Much like a fire that needs wood on a regular basis, without it, it can be reduced to a few smoldering embers buried beneath a pile of ash. Our believing needs help. Without it, it can get buried beneath the bleakness of life.

So no matter how formless, empty and dark your world may be; no matter how many unsuccessful efforts there have been to change it; let this serve as a reminder that God specializes in impossible situations. Be assured in whatever your situation is that God can do it.

(2)

Finding Treasure in Difficulty

I’m sure most women today would have griped just a little bit, but Mary found treasure. She and Joseph had just traveled about 75 miles to Bethlehem—means of transportation . . . donkeys and sandals. Can you imagine doing that today while pregnant and at full term? Add the fact that when they got there, there were no rooms available at any of the hotels.

I can see it just as clearly as I am seeing these letters as I sit here typing. Just about the time they find out there are no rooms, when you think it can’t get any worse, it does. Mary is ready to have her baby. Because there is nothing else available, they clear out a place in a stall and make the best of it. Her first born child—the Son of God of all things—is born in a stall. There was no epidural, no ice chips, no soft bed to lie in after it was over, no hot shower or bath—just family, a little straw and a few animals.

You would think that God would have seen to it that she could’ve had an easier way of it all. Instead, it appears it pleased Him to let it be as difficult and as lowly as one could imagine. But . . . He knows how, in our difficulty, to make it all worth it. He sent shepherds to confirm what she knew in her heart about the child she had just given birth to. In her difficulty He was able to give her treasure.

Losing the Son of God

The feast was over. Jesus’ family was on their way back home but was unaware that He had stayed behind. "Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for