Daily Devotions

O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:33-36

Thank God for Wikipedia. I just clicked there to discover that Sir Francis Bacon is usually credited with the line “knowledge is power”. It also says that: “Bacon has been called the father of empiricism. His works established and popularized inductive methodologies for scientific inquiry, often called the Baconian method, or simply the scientific method. His demand for a planned procedure of investigating all things natural marked a new turn in the rhetorical and theoretical framework for science, much of which still surrounds conceptions of proper methodology today.”

(Ironically, as smart as he obviously was, it also says that “He famously died by contracting pneumonia while studying the effects of freezing on the preservation of meat.”)

Bacon’s scientific method has certainly proven to be a blessing in humanity’s ongoing calling to cultivate the garden of life yet in this fallen world, the curse follows closely behind. I don’t think a tape measure can adequately capture what happens when, in our quest to be All-Knowing, regardless of method, we end up too big for our britches.

Paul isn’t seeking to capture, or even to understand, the “the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God.” He is simply praising God, standing in awe of God, letting God be God.

We can’t and won’t figure God out. As much as we seek to learn and to grow, limits are limits and some things are simply unknowable. Yet that doesn’t mean they are non-existent or powerless. We know what we know about God because God has chosen to reveal Godself to us. In God’s time. In God’s ways.

I don’t understand electricity or the internet but I’m using both of them this morning. I can’t measure my wife’s love for me nor can I adequately demonstrate in a repeatable experiment the depth of my love for her. All we have is our word to one another and the invitation to trust it. That is all we need and more than we could possibly wish for at the same time.

God loves you today. That is all you need to know.

Oh, and dress warmly the next time you want to study the effects of freezing on the preservation of meat.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, since we were children we have been asking questions.   Who? What? Where? Why? When? We’ve wanted to know “how long until we’re there?” since the first road trip of our lives. Thank you for these inquisitive and curious minds that you have given us. Thank you for scientists who seek to unravel the mysteries of life. Thank you for not answering all of our questions. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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