The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but He frustrates the word of the unfaithful. ~Proverbs 22:12
“This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed us and established us—The Lord is His name: “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” ~Jeremiah 33:2-3
“Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” ~Matthew 7:7-8
He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “though seeing they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.”” ~Luke 8:10
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But the wisdom that comes from Heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ~James 1:5 & 3:17
After I was witnessed to by a local visiting pastor, and as he was leading me in, what we often call “the sinner’s prayer,” I was saying the words he was telling me to say, but in my heart I was saying, “God, if You are real, show me.” I have learned over the years, in reading and listening to many other testimonies of sincere believers that have come to Christ, that that prayer for God to reveal Himself, offered in sincerity, is pretty common.
It springs from a heart that has come to the end of itself and desperately wants to know the Truth. As the pastor departed that day, he encouraged me to begin reading my Bible. That was a challenge as well. So many things that I had already read in scripture had been archaic and confusing and, to be honest, downright boring. However, what did I have to lose?
So, I found my Bible and started reading. Amazingly, I was getting it! I think that I actually read my Bible through for the first time within about six weeks, and I was understanding it. God was answering my prayer that He reveal Himself to me. Even reading the Old Testament, I did not encounter the angry God of wrath. I saw that God was full of love and compassion for his people, but they didn’t appreciate Him.
The letter that I received from Calvin College around that time was definitely the clincher. That was a tangible proof of His love. But my mind was being expanded daily with the knowledge from His Word that He had carefully guarded until I was ready and willing to receive. “The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge.”
Jesus explained to His disciples, “The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “though seeing they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.” We may wonder why Jesus wouldn’t want those to whom He was referring, the Pharisees, to understand. It isn’t that He wanted to keep them in the dark about the ways of God.
In truth, they thought that they already knew. They weren’t asking for understanding. They thought that they already had all the answers. And what Jesus was saying did not fit with their preconceived notions. They were literally prejudiced against him by their arrogance. So, they heard Him all right. But they didn’t get it because they didn’t want it.
Jesus had actually referred to them once as, “blind guides leading the blind.” What He meant by this is that their own human understanding blinded them to the truths of God, but they were content with that. Their human understanding kept them blind to God and in their blindness they led those who were only interested in the knowledge of man and not the understanding of God.
Many today reject God’s Word. They may be like me, thinking it is confusing and archaic and hard to understand. Others don’t like the authority Scripture claims so they just want to find what they believe are the “discrepancies” and “contradictions” so that they can claim it isn’t true. Some think they do understand it in their human way of thinking and come to wrong conclusions based on what they think they know. Others purposely twist it, take verses out of context, and mold it to say what they want to hear. “but He frustrates the word of the unfaithful.”
Eventually, His meaning will be made clear and the Truth of His Word will shine forth. It's okay that God chooses to protect His knowledge from those who would abuse it, but to the faithful, He is eager to reveal Himself. “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” He wants to be known by His own. He loves it when we seek Him out. “For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
The Holy Spirit that is within us helps us to understand. Before I was a Christian, understanding God’s Word was a chore to me, but when I sought understanding, I truly believe that The Holy Spirit gave me the understanding that I needed to accept His truths, so that I could become a Christian. He opened my eyes that had been blinded and limited by what I could see in the seen world to a whole new world, His world, that He revealed to me because I asked.
When you are God’s child, He wants to be known by you. He wants to give you assurances of His love and care for you. He wants you to know the promises He has made to you. He wants you to know the history of how He has worked in the lives of us humans to continually reveal Himself and make His Will known.
If you struggle to understand God’s Word, ask Him for help in understanding. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” You may find that He will reveal new understanding, from His perspective, that you had either not known or not understood before. He is eager to open your eyes to His truths. If you are really stumped, He has provided trusted others who can help. He will be a mystery to those who do not want to know. But He will be revealed to those who earnestly seek Him.
Prayer: Thank You Father for answering my deepest prayer and showing me how real and true You are and how personally and perfectly You love me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: Open My Eyes
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