September 3, 2025
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! ³⁴ “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”
There is a great thrill in discovering new things about God. That feeling of sincere joy when we read the Bible and make sense out of the passage we're studying. Or, when we hear a sermon that teaches us something interesting that we didn't know. It often awakens a curious desire within us to continuing growing in our knowledge of the Lord and His Word. However, as much as God has made Himself known to us by His word, there are dimensions of His nature that are truly unknowable and beyond comprehension. This is what is being discussed in our passage today.
The Apostle Paul writing to the church in Rome, takes a moment in the middle of his letter to pause and stand in utter awe of God. He remarks in emotional language at the wonders of God's divine sovereignty. I doubt that Paul meant to teach us anything by these statements. It seems as though he was merely pausing from his teaching to have a personal moment of worship. However, even in this small praise to God, we are able to drink deep from a well of divine revelation.
What is it that we can learn from this passage? Simply stated, God is worthy of our worship even when we cannot comprehend the way in which His plans are unfolding. This is a deep struggle for us. We desperately want to know every piece of God's puzzle. We want some assurance and validation to the future He has for us. It's possible your present day sorrows might completely contradict what you initially planned or dreamed. There likely have been far more twists and turns in your road than you accounted for. And the temptation at this point is to question God for the confusion that you feel. But Paul trains us differently. Rather than cursing God for the mystery, he open his heart to the glorious bliss of not knowing. Are we able to stand in this present moment and say "God, I don't know what is going on, but I know that you know".
The depth of the riches of God's wisdom and knowledge ought to be the greatest comfort of our hearts. You may not know exactly how everything will work out, but the God of all creation does. We may not be able to ever perceive how our circumstance will turn for good, but He does. The mysterious will of God is not for us to research and figure out. It is not up to us to trace and track His plans as if we could catch up to the infinite mind of God. We are only to come to the end of our own will and plans and realize His are better. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so His ways are higher than ours and His thoughts than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). There is a greater thrill in living in sheer anticipation of God, not knowing what He will do next. The Bible tells us that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9). Let our hearts be deeply encouraged by that today despite what we may feel.
Prayer: Lord, I may not understand nor comprehend the way you are working in my life. However, I can trust that your plans for me are good. You are for me and not against me. Help me to have faith in the mystery and wait patiently upon your hand of deliverance. Amen.