Daniel 2:22 NKJV:
He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.
Deuteronomy 29:29 NKJV:
The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Daniel was gifted to enter the mysteries of God and receive understanding to unlock them. However, in some of the final visions that we will read in Daniel, he receives understanding in part but remains in the dark about other details. “We know in part and prophesy in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9).
Living between the things revealed and the things kept secret by God is a continual lesson for me. Last year, Tim Keller, the great theologian and apologist, died of pancreatic cancer. He’s with Jesus, and I sincerely celebrate for him. “But we really need him, Lord,” I argue. “Take someone else. We need his leadership and brilliance.” God and I don’t always agree on what’s best. In these moments, Isaiah 55 whispers, “I do not think like you think…” I trust and concede.
As I write this devotional, we are standing with a precious father who is living beside the bedside of his 16-year-old daughter as she appears to be fading from this life to the next. This is so hard. When do we grab hold of God like Jacob and wrestle with Him until He blesses? And when do we say, “Into Your hands, we release this outcome”? These are the secret things. They belong to God. We live by the “things revealed” and continue to fully trust God with secret things.
Prayer:
Father, I trust You completely. Your judgments are righteous and true. Your ways are higher than my ways. Your thoughts are also higher. Please strengthen me to stand like Daniel between the things revealed and the things kept secret. I worship You, my all-knowing God, who stewards the secret things in accordance with Your will. All praise and glory go to You, in Jesus’ name!