The Bible as we all know is a very important spiritual resource in the life of every committed Christian. If we develop the discipline of reading it daily, we will inadvertently become intimately acquainted with several verses and develop an affinity for a few.
I have several favorite Bible verses but one of the verses I love most is:
Deuteronomy 29:29, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”
Why is this verse one of my favorites?
I love this verse because it categorically instructs me to not waste time and energy on events in my life that are beyond my control. It reveals that dwelling on questions such as why God allowed certain challenges to happen to me or why God did not heal an illness of a loved one that resulted in death is futile, as God in His infinite wisdom has kept me from knowing such things. To me, the implication of God keeping certain things secret is that I need to trust Him more as He knows what is best for me. In effect, trusting in God is more important than concentrating on things that God has kept me from knowing. Also, Deuteronomy 29:29 makes it crystal clear to me that I need to focus my attention on the things that God has revealed to me.
What has God revealed to me?
In my opinion, one of the most important and basic things God has revealed to committed Christians to undertake is
Matthew 22:37-39, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.”
Again, to me, this commandment is not easy to attain as it requires wholehearted devotion to God and loving the people around us like Christ did. On the surface, this “revealed will” of God doesn’t appear difficult but putting it into practice is very challenging.
What then should I focus my life on?
As I haven’t accomplished even a quarter of God’s “revealed will” why should I be even concerned about the secret things that God doesn’t want me to know? In essence, what I should be focused on is understanding the things that God has revealed to me and teaching those things to my children. Deuteronomy 29:29 is one of my favorite verses because it reveals to me that since God is an
all-knowing, infinite, and eternal Creator, I need to trust and obey Him and forget about things that a finite mortal like me is forbidden to know. As well, the verse makes it clear to me that I need to act on the things that God has revealed to
me and leave the secret matters in His able hands. Lastly, this verse reminds me that I need to avoid unnecessary discussions, debates, and controversies about the secret things that God has kept to Himself.
My fervent prayer is that God in His own divine wisdom will help steer me back to His “revealed will” whenever I stray from the the path I am supposed to follow.
