A SAFE SOUL FOR THE SECRETS OF GOD

One of my favorite Christmas carols is “Mary Did You Know”.  The song wonders if Mary knew that her son was truly the Son of God come in the flesh.  The Scriptures tell us that she did indeed know who her son was, as did Joseph, Elizabeth, and Zechariah.  The wise men knew, the shepherds knew; Simeon and Anna knew as well.  These humble people knew the secrets of God and yet kept silent, pondering them in their hearts.

Jesus knew who he was and grew up in obscurity and obedience to his parents until the time came to reveal himself and begin the work his Father had sent him to do.  It’s hard to imagine living with that knowledge and remaining silent for thirty years.  It speaks to the humility of Jesus and the humility to God that the people around him possessed.  It speaks to the trust in God that these people possessed.  This was God’s work and it needed to be left in His hands to bring it all about in His timing. Too often I proclaim when I should patiently ponder.  Too often I speak when I should be silent. The work I want to have done in me is to have a hospitable heart, eternal eyes, and a safe soul for the secrets of God. 

Too often knowledge becomes power and leads to pride.  So many people claim to know what God wants, what God says, and what God is doing in the world today.  My ears become saturated with lies and opinions and fail to hear the truth.  The world is filled with false prophets and false teachers.  The church is filled with false prophets and false teachers.  This is not new.  It was addressed by Jeremiah (chapter 23), by Malachi (chapter 2), and by Paul in many of his letters. 

False prophets speak their own thoughts, words, and dreams.  They satisfy the itching ears of those who want to suit their own passions and turn away from listening to the truth because it is too hard and offends their sensibilities.  The people hear what they want to hear so those who are speaking and teaching give them what they want to hear so they are not offended or God forbid, convicted.  The words promise prosperity and eliminate sin, suffering and most importantly, the sovereignty of God.  The words promise a freedom based on feeling good about oneself.  The words promise a peace based on passivity and assimilation into the ways of world that surrounds them.  What is promised is rooted in lies and is a world built on sand.  It will not stand the tides and tempest of time and will fall, like all others of its kind fell.

Following Jesus and walking with God is difficult.  It includes suffering, a daily battle with sin, and a total submission to a sovereign God.  It is not an easy walk, especially in a world that sees me as foolish and unenlightened.  But I stand in good company.  Those who knew how hard it was but did not turn back, they knew HIM and stayed the course.

          “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”

(John 6:60-69)

These disciples were not perfect, but they knew and believed the One who was.  As they stayed their course the Holy Spirit would come to indwell them.  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.  The Holy Spirit speaks the secrets of God to those whom he indwells; to those with a hospitable heart, eternal eyes, and a safe soul for the secrets of God to be pondered in.