May they be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2: 2 – 3
On this 15th day of November, with gratitude and praise, we thank God for giving us the understanding, the wisdom, and the knowledge to know Him and His saving grace.
Would you consider yourselves as having great wealth? As we think about the love of our families and friends, our health, the warmth and safety we enjoy with all that we need, and the beauty of our world around us, I think we all could agree that we have been most blessed. For we know in God’s eyes, wealth is considered much differently than in our own. In this verse, we are promised all the “riches” and “treasures” we would ever need as we grow in knowledge and understanding of who our God is.
The world in its own wisdom can’t possibly know God. We can’t find Him through human reasoning and factual information. In trying to do so, we put God into a box, with a pre-conceived view of who He is. God is much bigger than anything we could ever imagine and much greater than anything we could ever discover on our own. It is only through His grace that we can ever truly know who He is. He created our minds and our hearts in such a way that only He can truly reveal Himself to us.
Our Creator makes Himself known to us through both nature and His Word. For it is in nature that we see His power, His glory, and His great wisdom. It is through Scripture that we learn who God is, and how He wants us to live out our lives – trusting, obeying, and loving Him. Through His Word to us, we learn of His sovereignty and His eternal plan – to save us through His Son, Jesus Christ. And through His Spirit living in our hearts, He guides us to become who He would have us be.
But our deepest knowledge and understanding of God comes from our own personal experiences with Him – when we are aware of His loving presence with us. During these times, we can’t help but be filled with complete awe and wonder at His greatness. But even with all these ways He makes Himself known to us, we realize that in His omnipotence, God will always remain a mystery to us. But, because He is infinitely wise and powerful, we know we can trust Him. We can always have faith that He will work out the things in our lives in a way that is best for us.
How grateful we are to have the grace to know the riches of His wisdom and understanding.
Prayer
Our most gracious and loving God, thank you for giving us the wisdom to understand just how much you love and care for us. You give our lives meaning and purpose as we seek to follow you and live lives worthy of your saving grace. Amen
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