things too wondrous for me

“…the way of an eagle in the sky…” (Proverbs 30)

I went for a hike yesterday, and paused at an open point in the trail to catch my breath, slow down, and take in the beauty of God’s handiwork that surrounded me. I could see Mount Ouray in the distance with its carved out face curiously named “The Devil’s Armchair.” I could hear the wind whipping through the pines, causing them to groan as an unseen force bent them against their will. I marveled at a sky for which the word “blue” seemed inadequate to convey its color and depth.

And then, seemingly from nowhere, a bird of prey, catching updrafts.

And I was transfixed.
Mesmerized.
And the words from the writer of wisdom echoed in my mind —

Three things are too wondrous for me;
four I can’t understand:
the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship at sea,
and the way of a man with a young woman.

(Proverbs 30:18-19, Christian Standard Bible)

Biblical wisdom has always been about finding the grain of God’s wise design, woven throughout all that he has made. It’s what Agur, Son of Jakeh, is on about as he makes this observation — he senses something fundamental shared by these things too wondrous for him (and me!). The mystery lies in the paths themselves, a way that each of them shares that defies explanation.

For how do you explain the flight of a bird in the sky?

And maybe we’re not meant to, ultimately.

Maybe the point is to be left in a state where such things are too wondrous, maybe that is where the joy and delight is found.

I know that’s what happened to me, unexpectedly, on a Saturday afternoon.

I saw something too wondrous for me to explain, which pointed me to my wondrous God.