The Unsearchable Things Of God

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

In the past when I read devotionals by theologians, pastors, and heroes of the faith, I would ache to experience the same intimacy with God I sensed in them. Can I read the Bible with the same confidence and understanding? I wondered. Or do some people have a direct line to Jesus reserved for elite Christians?

In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet was sent by God to foretell impending judgment on the Israelites for their idolatry. Not only would they be exiled from the Promised Land, but they would also be taken captive by the ruthless Babylonians. Cushioned within Jeremiah’s messages were unbreakable threads of hope for the people to cling to in the midst of judgment and exile.

Jeremiah 31:33 says, “This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Resolute in their waywardness, the Israelites rejected Jeremiah and threw him in prison. While he was in chains, Jeremiah heard the word of the Lord again: “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).

God’s invitation for his people to come to him was given to them not because they had their act together but because of his mercy and love. The Israelites were not perfect, yet God called them, showering his grace on their heads. We must remember this when we begin to think that only “perfect” Christians can call out to God and mine treasures from the depths of his Word.

Romans 3:23 explains, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” There are no perfect Christians, only redeemed Christians. There is no exclusive hotline to get God’s attention—we have all been given access to the throne of grace through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

The people we read about, look up to, and learn from all struggle like we do. They wrestle like we do. They doubt like we do. But they press on and press in further. They repent of their sin and turn to God. They call out to him, confident that he will answer.

The same invitation that God gave the Israelites in Jeremiah 33:3 is given to us in Christ: “In him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14).

In Christ, you have been given full access to the throne of God, and the Holy Spirit now dwells in you (see 1 Corinthians 6:19). When you’re tempted to look to a pastor or a Bible teacher and place them on a pedestal, or when you find yourself relying on their words above the Word of God, remember that they are human, just like us.

So open your Bible, seek the Lord with all your heart, and delight in the unsearchable things he delights to show you.

Word before World The same God who spoke through Jeremiah is the same God who speaks to us through Christ and invites us into the mysteries of the gospel.

Grow in Grace Do you long to hear from God the way your pastor, Bible study leader, or favorite theologian does? You can! Be willing to linger in God’s presence as you ask him to teach through his Word.