Inaccessible secrets ∙∙

Inaccessible secrets ∙∙

Ask me, and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come. – Jeremiah 33:3

Isaiah 55:8-9 

 8 My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the LORD. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Alan Turing gained widespread recognition for his role in deciphering the Enigma Code, which Germany used during World War II. Along with a select group of code-breakers operating covertly at Bletchley Park. As a result, the Allies were able to decipher secret German messages.

“A computer would deserve to be called intelligent if it could deceive a human into believing that it was human.” Before the days of Alan Turing, the term “computer” did not refer to a machine. He believed that a computer was an individual who performed mathematical computations. Turing’s pioneering work became the foundation for all subsequent computing devices. He is widely regarded as the father of modern computing.

Turing thought thoughts that had not been conceived before. He formulated them so that others could follow in his footsteps. In a sense, he had “access” to previously inaccessible information through the power of his intellect.

When we compare our own limited abilities and resources to those of Turing or other great figures, it is easy to feel discouraged and powerless. We may question our own significance and ask ourselves, “Who am I?” However, we are not alone in feeling this way. These words were uttered by Moses (Exodus 3:11), David (1 Samuel 18:18), and Job (Job 9:14).

The Father’s greatness outweighs our meager circumstances. Consider Moses when he first climbed Mount Sinai. What did he bring with him? His clothing, sandals, a shepherd’s staff, and burning curiosity. That was all. That was the sum of all that Moses had. Humanly speaking, his assets were indeed meager and paltry. The Father saw something entirely different! He did not see Moses’ limited human resources. The Father saw Moses’ resources + God’s resources. He provided Moses with the resources he needed to succeed. Similarly, when we combine our resources with God’s, we can achieve remarkable things.

Exodus 4:2 Then the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied.

Moses had nothing more than a stick, the branch of a tree. How could he carry out the mission the Father was sending him on? How can he fight the Egyptians with swords, spears, and chariots (the most powerful weapons of his day) with a stick?

For the Father, it was not a problem! Somehow, merely saying a few words, the Father infused the stick with the almighty power of God. It was no longer a mere shepherd’s staff. It was now the rod of God (Exodus 4:2-17)!

Exodus 4:20 Moses . . . headed back to the land of Egypt. In his hand, he carried the rod of God.

REFLECT & PRAY

What seems impossible for humans is easily accomplished by the Father without effort or difficulty.

Father who am I? By myself very little, but with You, I can be all that You desire for me to be.

INSIGHT

The Father dares the prophet Jeremiah to discover unexpected, inaccessible, and hidden things. He dares each child of the King to do the same thing!

Jeremiah 33:3 Call on me in prayer, and I will answer you. I will show you great and mysterious things which you still do not know about.

The Hebrew word translated as mysterious, mighty, unsearchable, or inaccessible is batsar. This word was commonly used for walled fortresses. They were considered almost invincible, being well fortified and protected. Consider ancient Babylon at the time of Nebuchadnezzar. Babylon’s outer wall was 56 miles long, 75 feet thick, 300 feet high, and wide enough for a 4-horse chariot. It was, for all practical purposes, impregnable.

Metaphorically speaking, the word batsar came to mean mighty, incomprehensible, inaccessible, unknowable, or hidden. Something that could not easily be known or grasped.

The Father dared Jeremiah to seek to grasp the unknown. In our day, we might say, “to dream the impossible dream.” Such dreamers in our day might be considered a bit weird, nerdy, or even insane. Unless, of course, their names were Edison, Bell, Einstein, Disney, Gates, or Jonas Salk. They defied the limitations of what was and dared to imagine and dream. They conceived, discovered, and invented things that did not previously exist. They were born to be creative geniuses, inventors, and entrepreneurs.

The Father’s ideas and plans surpass our wildest imaginations. It is common for us to limit ourselves to what we believe we can accomplish on our own. However, the Father encourages us to dream big, take risks, and step outside our comfort zone.

Our immediate surroundings or circumstances do not restrict the Father. When two or more gather, the Lord Jesus Christ is present. Our location and possessions are insignificant compared to the Father’s vast resources, power, and vision. He is truly awesome and limitless, existing outside the boundaries of time and space. He merely has to speak, and it comes to pass. 

The Father is always working and invites us to enter into His ongoing work. The opportunities and possibilities are without end. Our only responsibility is to call upon Him and follow Him wherever He leads us.  

Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.

The Father has an eternal plan. As we participate in His plan, He opens and closes doors. He is not playing games, teasing, or provoking us. He requires that we communicate with Him in a two-way conversation. Regrettably, many of the children of the King are only familiar with one-way communication. 

We know so little! Yet the Father has invited us to search and know His inscrutable and incomprehensible mind.

It seems almost inconceivable, but the Father has secrets that He wants to share with us. If we are bold enough to call upon Him, He will answer and reveal unimaginable things that we never thought possible. Take the dare.

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever.

Even though we may never completely understand the Father’s plans, we can still trust His intentions and reasoning.

Human knowledge, intelligence, and understanding are merely a minuscule fraction of the infinite knowledge, intelligence, and understanding possessed by the omniscient God.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 2-15-1

© Dr. H 2023