The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law ” (Deuteronomy 29:29 BSB)
“For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:1-3 NKJV)
“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” (Proverbs 25:2 NKJV)
I am starting to learn just how exciting Living in the Land of Mystery really is. It is like being on a treasure hunt. However, unlike the Pirates who buried treasure, and hid the map from us so that we wouldn’t find it, the Lord’s treasure is hidden for us. His map, the Word, is freely given to all. He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us read the map. He longs for us to unravel His mysteries and find His treasures.
In the past I made the mistake of thinking that the Lord’s mystery was all about veiling His Will from me. Sadly, I think far too many believers have made this same mistake. God’s Will is not the primary focus of “mystery.” I have learned that God’s Will is clearly laid out in His Word. For the vast majority of the decisions I will need to make, and directions in which I need to travel in life, I can find the Lord’s will by simply reading my Bible. For specific areas that are not directly spoken of in the Bible, I have the Holy Spirit. He is my teacher and guide. He will lead me into truth, and guide me in the right direction. I think we tend to make knowing the Lord’s Will into a “mysterious venture” far more than it needs to be.
I was praying with a man that I deeply love, and greatly respect, recently. He has been my mentor throughout my adult life. He is now in his 90’s and has been active in Church all of his life. As he was praying for the health of someone very dear to him I noticed that whenever he prayed for things like comfort, peace, or joy, he prayed with conviction and confidence. He demonstrated a strong faith for these things. He said things like, “Thank you Lord for giving my loved one peace,” and “fill my loved one with your joy.” However, when he prayed for healing he backed off in his level of expectation and used phrases like, “if it be your will,” and “Lord you know what I want, but whatever your will is, I will accept it.” After we finished praying, the Spirit prompted me to follow up. I pointed out the difference that I noticed in his prayer and asked him why. His answer was what I expected. He said that in his prayer for things like comfort, peace, and joy, he knew God’s Will. He stated that when it came to healing he didn’t know. I asked him why, to which he said that his experience is that you never know whether or not a person will be healed, and that maybe it wasn’t the Lord’s Will to heal in this situation. I asked him, “how can I know whether or not healing is God’s Will?” and he said, “I guess we’ll know after the fact. If healing occurs then I guess it was God’s Will. If not, I guess it wasn’t.” Healing is just one example of where the Lord’s Will is clearly expressed in scripture, but because we don’t always see what the Bible promises happen, we assume it is unknowable.
Faith begins where the will of God is known. Satan knows that as long as he can keep us thinking that the mysteries of God pertain to knowing God’s Will, he can keep us from receiving the benefits of our salvation. There is more needing to be said about this, but not today.
We will pick this back up tomorrow. Until then, I am thankful for…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 56: “Living in the Land of ‘Mystery’ (Faith’s Treasure-House) and ‘Impossible’ (Faith’s Playground).” Part 3: Mystery and the Will of God