The Mystery of God vs. Understanding

To walk with God, we quickly learn that comprehensive understanding is unattainable. It isn’t reasonable to expect it. Even for the spiritual man, there’s an aspect of mystery to walking with God. The fact is, I will never have total understanding, for that is not the goal. Understanding has the connotation of mastery, as if I gain the upper hand with my gathered knowledge. Yet our intended purpose is to know God and continually increase in the knowing of Him. As such, living under the veil of mystery is an expression of my faith in my Father and His perfect character.

The Mystery of God

I love living in The Mystery of God. I wouldn’t want to grasp everything in life. How confining it would be if I was limited to the reality my perceptions and thoughts could contain! It would be so boring and walled in, too small. In the mystery of God, I experience great expanse, not limitation. Part of the mystery of the Gospel is that it will remain a mystery no matter how much of it is revealed to me. No matter how much I discover today, tomorrow the understanding of the mystery will be challenged and expanded. It will always remain a mystery this side of heaven. My willingness to understand less is a stage set for the increase of my knowledge of Christ.

That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition].
Colossians 1:10 AMPC

Living in the mystery is actually the privilege of dependence. To live not knowing is a faith that will abandon ourselves into the hands of God. And in this mystery, we find the Lord’s Will and pleasure. He doesn’t leave us flailing without a clue. When we live not knowing, Christ becomes our knowledge.

Understanding the Mystery

I am not advocating ignorance; I am supporting faith. I am promoting living abandoned, where knowing God is enough to satisfy my curiosity. This doesn’t mean I lack wisdom. On the contrary, I gain He who is Wisdom. Without the lust to know, I am given greater knowledge through faith. The Spirit quickens my mind and gives me direction and insight in each moment. By not amassing mere facts and figures, I increase my knowledge of Christ. The Lord is proving His capacity and ability, not my mental prowess.

I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ Himself. In Him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Colossians 2:2b–3 NLT

Living in The Mystery

Living in The Mystery of God may feel out of control, but it is the safest place we can live. In fact, it’s an odd combination of great security and even greater adventure. And it is a faith that pleases the Father. In the Garden we got in trouble for wanting knowledge above our intimacy with God. We abandoned relationship with Him for the promise of understanding. We never read the fine print of that agreement. We ate from the Tree of Knowledge and then had eyes to see filthiness in our nakedness. What once was an unashamed abandon to our Creator God became a sordid understanding of lack. Our choice for understanding ushered in the death of our innocence. I didn’t gain the knowledge of good and evil, I just bought the lie that said I could.

Understanding is overrated. Grasping concepts fools us into thinking that we have power. The reality is I only have power in Christ, everything else is just exertion, effort, and mental assent. And the way we access His power is through abandoning ourselves to the Mystery, which is Christ. We will know Jesus, and increase our knowledge of Him, which includes His ways and His character.

For the Spirit-wind blows as it chooses. You can hear its sound, but you don’t know where it came from or where it’s going. So it is within the hearts of those who are Spirit-born!”
John 3:8 TPT