Mysterious Ways

Mysterious Ways

Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. 1 Corinthians 13:12

NO ONE MASTERS GOD’S WAYS. They originate in an infinite mind and cover an infinite range of possibilities and situations. He graciously shares with us a revelation of his ways in Scripture, but as Scripture itself admits in several places, there is far more that could be written and much more we will see in the end. As the psalmist said, God’s knowledge is too wonderful, too great to understand (Psalm 139:6). For now, we see through a glass darkly, waiting for the day when everything appears with perfect clarity. Faith grasps some of that clarity now, but sight will one day far outshine it.

In the meantime, you will continue to have some mysteries in your life, prayers you thought God would answer a certain way but didn’t. You might chalk them up to misunderstanding his will or promises, and even so, you will have received far more in your journey of faith than if you had started out questioning, doubting, and praying tentatively. Continue in that same spirit of belief. Don’t focus on anything God hasn’t done, but instead celebrate what he has done and press forward in faith. If you fix your gaze on what you think remains missing, it will grow larger in your own mind. If you set it on what God has done, that will grow larger, and you will be filled with gratitude.

That’s ultimately where the journey of faith ends—with gratitude. No one finishes this journey disappointed, at least not after reaching the other side of the veil. When we look back from that place, we will see every yes, every no, and every season of waiting as pure love. We will realize that the temporary pains of the world could never outweigh the glories of the Kingdom, no matter how difficult they were to bear. Disappointments will fade into nothing; fulfillment will seem even more monumental than it first appeared. Faith will become sight, hope will be rewarded, and love will remain the greatest of these.

Deep in unsearchable mines of never-failing skill, he treasures up his bright designs and works his sovereign will.