"My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine." Isaiah 55:8 NLT
For several seasons, my wife and I have watched a mystery that defies solving.
Few television shows have tantalized me so much that I would stop what I was doing to watch them. Black List is one. I'm not quite sure what drew my wife to it, but as I sat and read while she watched the show, I, too, was mysteriously drawn to the main characters and the show's mysterious nature. One of the characters, Raymond Reddington, is a criminal—albeit one who assists the other main character, a crime investigator, Elizabeth Keen. He helps because of a mysterious connection with her—one that is never revealed.
God defies solving as well. Scientists propose hypotheses. Experiments, in turn, test the hypotheses. When a particular result occurs, the scientists propose a theory. If the same result repeats itself, they proclaim a fact. But God doesn't follow scientific procedures. When I think I've figured him out, he'll surprise me. He is a mystery, yet a mystery I can live with.
A relationship with God entails admitting that we can't figure him out. I enjoy solving mysteries in life. A favorite board game of mine when I was younger was Clue. Through elimination, someone playing the game determined who the criminal was, what room the crime took place in, and what weapon they used in the act. God, however, doesn't play by the usual rules.
Despite all that we may not be able to figure out about God, there are some things we can know—predictable things. The ways he shows us love may change or surprise us, but the fact that he loves will not. Loving is his nature. How he delivers us from or through trouble may vary, but deliver he will. What temptations he allows us to face—and how long he allows them to endure--will differ, but he always provides a way of escape and the strength to endure the temptation. Trials of different shapes and sizes will come, but God will consistently deliver us through each one.
Although we worship a God of mystery, he remains consistently loving. Make sure you love and trust this God of mystery.
Father, among the many mysteries that surround you, I thank you that I can depend on the consistency of your love, grace, and mercy.
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