In terms of depth below the surface, the Kola Superdeep Borehole SG-3 retains the world record at 40,230 feet as the deepest artificial point on Earth. That is almost seven miles down. It is hard to fathom any hole penetrating that deeply into the earth. It is even harder to fathom the depths of God’s Word. What tells me this? Because this week I was blessed to spend three straight days studying the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians. I studied the letter with two brothers in Christ, and became awestruck about how deeply Paul dove into matters such as Old Testament law, the danger of false teachers, the freedom we have in Christ, and the sanctification of the believer. Yet, if we had just focused on the content of that letter alone, we would have missed so much of its meaning. With God’s help, we looked at passages from all over the Scriptures which added understanding and depth to what we were studying, and caused us to marvel over the beautiful tapestry of God’s Word and how it all relates. My faith was deepened and I came away from our time of study being renewed and strengthened.
My experience started me thinking about the depth of God’s Word as a whole. If this was my experience with one book (which I have only started to understand), how deep is God’s Word in terms of the entire Bible? I am confident that the Kola Superdeep Borehole has nothing on Yahweh’s Superdeep Word. Yet, if I am not careful, I can become discouraged by this truth. After all, if studying God’s Word as we did revealed so many wonderful spiritual truths, how much am I missing? Even more so, how much of God’s Word will I have missed by the time I draw my last breath?
So what should I do? Shall I increase my efforts to study God’s Word? Yes! But even so, I will leave this earth missing so much of His truth! I do have a consolation though and it comes from…..His Word.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:9-12
I am looking forward to all that God will reveal to us when we are with Him in Heaven. I am sure that what we learn will leave us mesmerized and awestruck for eternity. I would think that our natural response will be, “I wish that I had known this when I was on earth” but we need to rest in the Sovereignty of God and His plans for our lives. Still, I believe that as important as it is to God that we know His Word, our attitude about His Word is even more important. Do we cherish it? Do we depend on it? Do we long to be filled with it? Do we respect its authority and desire to live in obedience to it? Do we rest in it? My point is that God may not hold us accountable for what we didn’t know, but He will definitely hold us accountable for what we did know, and what our attitude was towards it.
Brothers and Sisters, may our hearts be the same as the Psalmist who wrote:
12 Praise be to you, Lord;
teach me your decrees.
13 With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
14 I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
15 I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
16 I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.
May we be the ones who rejoice and delight in it as well.
When it comes to God’s Word, there is no end in sight. Yet for those who cherish it, their sight into all things that truly matter will ever improve.
For Him,
Rob