Devotional Thought – Looking At The Deep Things Of God

29 Oct Devotional Thought – Looking At The Deep Things Of God

“But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” 1 Cor. 2:9-10

Many have written much in recent years about “the deep things of God.” Blogs and books are written and given titles that picture going deeper, dwelling deeper, living deeper. Many times I have read these pages hoping to discover something deeper only to come away more confused than I was before. (Of course, Adrian Rogers often told us preacher boys that just because you can’t see the bottom of a creek doesn’t mean that it is deep. It could just be muddy.)

In reading Paul’s words to the Corinthian church, it struck me that the reason we often don’t see things the way we should is because we’re looking through the wrong lens. Everything looks foolish or incomprehensible when encountered some other way. Music has no meaning to the eye. A painting can not be heard. You can’t touch the sweet fragrance of a rose. The deep things of man can only be understood in a similar fashion.

So it is with the deep things of God. There are certain aspects in our relationship with Him and His relationship with us that can only be discerned through the lens of love, and it is only through His Spirit that He reveals that to us. I try to comprehend Divine suffering, but when I approach it with my human intellect or earthly reason I walk away confused, scratching my head, unable to understand such a mystery. I wonder how an infinite God could be limited to such a finite existence. How the One who created the world could condescend to be in the world. How the Creator willingly allowed Himself to be killed by His creation.

But when the Spirit allows me to look through the lens of love I realize that the more infinite that love is, the more limited must its possessor be. I finally understand that if God is a God of love, and the Bible declares that He is, then not only is He able, but He most certainly will suffer more than man. Just as the opposite is true. If He were less infinite, then He would be less affected, less crushed by the sorrows around Him. You see, it is the complete and full expression of His love that makes Him most susceptible to the pain and the heartache of others. It is His majesty that crucifies Him. His cross is formed from His crown.

In order for us to fully comprehend His glory we must first understand His cross. If His glory came from His power or His perception then, the cross would be just as it was to the Jews – a curse, and to the Romans – foolishness. But His glory is His love, and that is nowhere more readily and vividly seen than in the cross. The tears and blood that fell from the cross form the brilliant jewels in His divine diadem.

There is a reason the sorrow and the shame fell on the cross and was carried by Him – He is infinitely more loving than I am. There is a reason the penalty of sin fell on Him. It is not just that I was unable because of my position, but also because I don’t have enough love to carry the burden. And if it had fallen on anyone else it would remain to today a mystery. It was not His humanity that made Him suffer so – it was His divinity. We talk about His humiliation, but His humiliation was not His cross. Every nail that pierced Him was a badge of honor. Every rough thorn pushed into His brow formed a royal crown. The cross fit him like the royal robes of a King. It fits Him, even today, more than the crown I could have given to Him or the shouts of praise that I would have sung.

God forbid that I should see His glory in anything else except the cross because when I look through the lens of love, suddenly the deep things of God become crystal clear.