Mysteries

I enjoy a good mystery novel or movie or drama on TV. One of my favorite series was “Murder, She Wrote,” featuring Jessica Fletcher (played by Angela Lansbury), a quirky writer who had the knack of solving murder mysteries wherever she happened to be. Everything ends with a tidy solution and all is well, except for the imprisoned murderer.

But I’m not talking about those mysteries which can be solved by a good detective. Life is full of mysteries. Questions which have no answers. Is it not a mystery that the whole solar system was flung out into space at God’s command and astronomers are still trying to figure it all out? 

I still wonder at the mystery of birth. Thousands of babies are born every day and the majority are healthy. I mean, think of all the things that could go wrong. Millions of cells all join together to form the body, so there are millions of possibilities of defects. Yet they are rare. Every time I hold a newborn baby, I am amazed at the miracle before me. Even if something is wrong, there’s a lot that is right, and we can thank God for the mystery of it all.

Even the wise man who wrote Proverbs admitted that some things were a mystery to him. He said: “There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a young woman” (Proverbs 30:18-19, NIV).

Probably the greatest mystery is the fact that we are loved by God Almighty and that we can be adopted into His eternal family. Jesus tried to explain the mystery of the new birth to Nicodemus one night. He told the intelligent religious leader that “God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, NKJV). And this mystery of being “born again”to spiritual life astounded Nicodemus! 

Paul often pointed out the mystery of God’s ways. “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33, NKJV). When he wrote to Timothy, he stated: “Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory” (I Timothy 3:16, NIV}.

I used to sing a song called “Marvelous Mystery.” That’s exactly what it is. A mystery too marvelous for words or understanding. If you tried to explain God’s love, what words would you use? Lots of songs have been written, but I think this one comes the closest to an adequate description. Can you take a few minutes to listen and revel in the love God has shown to us?

“O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus” from “A Song of Love”