…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 forever.
Who among us have not found ourselves confused and overwhelmed at times attempting to understand the circumstances of life while simultaneously pursuing God’s will for our life? Our hearts and minds become overwhelmed in this sin-cursed and broken world as we contemplate life’s challenges and disappointments while battling our ever-present doubts, confusion and fears. We have fully embraced the sovereignty of God and acknowledge the providence of God. We even know the Christ-affirmed Biblical and benevolent promises toward us. Yet, disharmony of a broken world impinging upon us easily produces confusion with hesitancies, doubts with chaos and fears with paralysis. Is there a way to erase sin’s cacophony of confusion and despair and embrace the symphony of God’s grace and mercy enabling us to live confidently for Christ in a broken world?
Many believers are subtly drawn to solving the dilemma of doubts, confusion and fear by “reading the tea leaves” of life’s circumstances. This endeavor is usually pursued in the name of discerning God’s guidance. The reality is, it only furthers our dilemma by consigning us to the vagueness and instability of speculation while detouring us from the stability-giving dynamic of embracing the inerrant and sufficient gift of Divine revelation-God’s Word, by which life’s circumstances can be accurately interpreted.
Simply put, “reading the tea leaves” of life’s circumstances will not dismiss doubts, confusion and fears nor give the knowledge of God’s will for our life. On the contrary, to understand “the secret will of God” for our lives we must know the “revealed will of God” – His Word. God’s Word revealing God’s will gives us the ability to understand life’s circumstances to make God-centered and Kingdom-advancing decisions.
The patriarch Joseph provides a marvelous example of a believer being informed by God’s Word when interpreting and responding to life in a broken world. This man received dreams and visions revealing God’s promise and purpose to place him in a position of power and authority to benefit God’s people as well as others. Yet in the circumstances of life, the very opposite seemed to be the reality. He was betrayed by the conspiracy of his brothers, treated unjustly as a slave by his master Potipher, even though he had been faithful in servitude and resistant to the temptations of Potipher’s wife. Adding to the confusion, he was forsaken by a fellow-prisoner he had comforted. Yet, knowing God’s Word and therefore God’s covenant promises he interpreted the circumstances of life with clarity and confidence instead of despair and discouragement. Joseph not only avoided the despondency of self-pity but he was able to decisively respond to life’s challenges and opportunities ~ whether in the House of Potipher, Pharaoh’s prison or Pharoah’s palace ~ Joseph lived with God-centered consistency and a servant’s heart. Amazingly, he was even able to comfort his brothers in their fear as they found themselves at his mercy with the words ~ “what you meant for evil God meant for good” ~ the good was referring to the salvation of God’s covenant people as well as God’s common grace overflowing to others in the midst of a Divinely appointed famine judgment. By knowing God’s Word and His promises, he was liberated to make life decisions embracing the ministry of grace to his brothers instead of personal revenge as they arrived vulnerable and needy. God’s Word positioned him to interpret the Life’s circumstances confidently as the Hand of God’s providence. The result was an effective and God honoring ministry of grace and wisdom. Because he knew God’s Word and that He would fulfill His promises, he interpreted enslavement, unjust treatment and betrayals as God’s will calling him to suffer so that through his suffering, the Lord would bring the blessing of life to His Covenant people and mercy to others.
Even more significantly this short narrative of Joseph’s life points to the greater narrative of Christ’s life. Our Redeemer, willingly submitted to God’s will, humbled Himself to suffer death on a cross that we might have life eternal instead of the Divine judgment of a forever hell. In Christ, the glorious, Divinely-designed pattern of taking the “catastrophe of sin” in a fallen world and accomplishing the “eucatastrophe of redemption” for the world to come is displayed. Dear friends, follow the path of Joseph to Christ and trust Him who defeats the malevolent designs of the evil one. Then, follow the Joseph model of knowing the Word of God to give perspective on life and direction for life in a fallen world.
God’s covenant people are not victims in a broken world; they are victors, walking in the triumph of Christ. Christ-followers are not the overwhelmed, but the over-comers. Informed by God’s inerrant Word, they put life in Biblical perspective, making decisions for life with clarity, confidence and courage.
Eradicating doubt and its hesitancy, removing confusion and it’s chaos, banishing fear and its paralysis, comes not by gazing at the “tea leaves of life” to know God’s “secret” will, but by knowing God’s “revealed” will through His all-sufficient Word. Searching God’s Word and surrendering to God’s Spirit enables Christ-followers to understand and respond to the circumstances of life in a broken world. Doubt is banished by confidence, confusion is replaced by clarity, and fear gives way to courage as we anticipate the expansion of God’s Kingdom in this world and the glory of the King in the world to come.
