God: Mystery

What is it about a ‘mystery’ that makes most of us feel the need to solve it? Mystery novels, movies with a mystery (some special effects and an alien or two – and don’t forget a love story!), and TV CSI shows are very popular! Why? Mysteries keep our interest. They give us a sense of adventure as we run to see what is around this turn or behind a door. We like to see how the characters around the mystery will respond and react.

God is a mystery. There are many, many facets of God that have challenged and confounded theological detectives for centuries. Some of the hundreds, if not thousands, of unsolved God-mysteries are:

v The Trinity: What does “three Persons in One God” mean?

v God says He is love and yet orders entire civilizations destroyed (Saul & Amalakites, Joshua & Jericho, Ai)

v Creation

v Jesus is God and man.

And the list goes on and on.

“I the LORD do not change.” Malachi 3:6 (NIV)

And yet God said He would destroy Nineveh. He sent Jonah there to tell the king and city. When they repented – God changed His mind and did not destroy the city!

The Lord says quite plainly in Isaiah 55 that His thoughts are not my thoughts and my ways aren’t His ways. In fact, His ways are so much higher than mine, like the heavens are higher than the earth where I live. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

And so God is a mystery. I like a plan with countable points and subtitles. In 1995 I took a step of faith and threw in my life with Jesus. I have had a moment when I wondered at the wisdom of that move. (Summer 2002) I sat down and wrote “The Cost of Being a Disciple”. It has turned into a class complete with PowerPoint! I came to the personal conclusion that the cost is high but the cost of NOT being a disciple is higher! My life with Jesus has been …LIFE! It has been growing which means there is learning and discipline and much joy. I can live with the mystery and love that is God because He is living in me.