Grappling with mysteries

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This morning I started the day pouring my coffee and packing my husband's lunch while listening to Leviticus on audio. There is so much 🤷‍♀️ in Leviticus - and actually in so many things we read in Scripture. And you know what? It is GOOD- because our God is bigger than we can comprehend, devastatingly holy, a consuming fire, perfectly righteous. 

I sat down and dug into Romans 11 and this struck me so much this morning. In Romans 11 Paul is wading into deep and confusing waters about God's plan for Israel and the Gentiles. He calls it a "mystery." And verse 32 is a doozy- "God consigned all to disobedience, that He may have mercy on all." What does that MEAN?? 

Then in the very next verse he writes this stunningly beautiful hymn of praise - this confusing, bigger-than-our-comprehension truth should drive us to worship our God who is beyond our understanding.

"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! 
How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! 
"For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?" 
"Or who has given a gift to Him that He might be repaid?" 
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. 
To Him be glory forever. Amen."
Romans 11:33-36

As we read the Bible, there are many things that will be confusing. Some we will come to understand more fully with time and continued study. Some will remain a mystery- even if you're the Apostle Paul. 😆

Allow those confusing bits to drive you to see our BIG God and worship Him humbly.  What is man that He is mindful of us? That He invites us to know Him, to call Him our Abba Father, to speak to Him as our friend? 

"I do not try, Lord, to attain Your lofty heights, because my understanding is in no way equal to it. But I do desire to understand Your truth a little, that truth that my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand so that I may believe, but I believe so that I may understand." -Anselm (theologian, 1033-1109 AD)

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