We discovered in the post below, “Above the Normal,” that David wanted to build a home for God that was exceedingly magnificent. When Solomon begins to build the house, he uses more adjectives. He states that he is going to build a house that will be “GREAT and WONDERFUL” (1 Chronicles 22:9). We are either building a normal marriage or a GREAT marriage. We are either building a normal family, or a GREAT family.
And what about wonderful? I love this word. It is “pala” in the Hebrew and means “distinguished, extraordinary, miraculous, astonishing, marvelous.” Wow, what a word. God’s Word is extravagant. It not only uses adjectives, but when we look up the Hebrew or Greek, we find even more adjectives to help us understand the word.
The first time “pala” is used is in Genesis 18:14 (AMP) when God says: “IS anything too hard or too WONDERFUL for the LORD?” Nothing is too hard for Him. It was nothing for Him to give conception to Sarah when she was past the years of childbearing. “Pala” speaks of when God goes beyond the bounds of human powers or expectations (Exodus 3:20).
It is the same word used to describe the way God wonderfully and marvelously creates the baby in the secret place of the womb: “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: MARVELOUS are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well” (Psalm 139:14).
Psalm 111:4: “He hath made his WONDERFUL WORKS to be remembered.” God’s works are wonderful in creation. They are miraculous in performing miracles. But His most marvelous works are when He creates each new child in His own image.
Psalm 96:3: “Declare his glory among the heathen, his WONDERS among all people.” And so many more wonderful Scriptures.
The greatest wonders the world waits to see are harmonious marriages and happy, unified, strong families. When marriages and families are strong and stable, the nation is strong and stable. When marriages and family life are weakened the nation weakens.
Aim to build a WONDERFUL marriage. You’ll have to work at it. You’ll have to go beyond your feelings. You’ll have to press through into miracles. But with the power of God and the anointing of the Holy Spirit you can see marvelous and extraordinary things happen. Proverbs 12:25 (TLB) says: “A word of encouragement does WONDERS.”
Aim to build a WONDERFUL family life. Don’t settle for the ordinary. Seek to make something marvelous happen in your home each day. Realize that it’s often the little things that are the miraculous things—a hug, a smile, a forgiving spirit even when you have been hurt, or making a “family togetherness” happen.
And remember, each one of your children reveal God’s pala, His marvelous, wonderful, and miraculous works. Your home is filled with the extraordinary wonders of the Lord.
Love from Nancy Campbell