by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Knowing the Unknowable God

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

Spending time at the Grand Canyon and peering into the vastness of what God created, has a way of putting life in perspective. For some reason we think that we can understand God by our own reasoning, we can understand how he works, how he moves, how he thinks. 

We are not God.

Geologist will tell us how they think the Canyon was formed, but they cannot reveal the heart of God whom we confess called this world into existence, the God who fashioned every nook and cranny, and placed every creature that lives in the Canyon.

We humans want to rob God of his mystery, and in doing so we rob ourselves of embracing that mystery.

[Jesus said,] “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 
John 4:24 English Standard Version

In the same way that we want to understand creation, we also want to understand salvation. Why did God choose me? How can one man’s sacrifice heal my life, redeem me, and give me hope in a hopeless world? We think that if we can understand all the who, what, where, when, why and hows of God saving work, we will achieve a deeper faith, and ensure for ourselves more conviction to live as a child of God.

However, we are called to embrace the mystery of God, the God who is far beyond our human capacity to understanding. We are called to embrace the mystery of creation and the mystery of redemption. In doing so we embrace the God who is spirit and calls us to worship him in spirit and truth.

And though our God is vailed in mystery, we are also called to embrace the truth that this mysterious God has taken on human flesh, this God can be and is known to us humans in the One who lived for us, died for us, and rose for us.

I hope that the next time you stand in awe of God’s creation that you will embrace the mystery of God’s majesty who is knowable in Jesus.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado