The Wonder of Revelation: Seeking Wisdom from God’s Heart
by Shay S. Mason
“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope” (Psalm 130:5).
Do you sometimes struggle to understand a passage of Scripture? Perhaps you’ve been confused or troubled by a passage and thought, “What were you up to there, God?” or “How does that reflect your goodness, Lord?” I assume I’m not alone here.
For many years after becoming a Christian, I believed that a questioning heart was a faithless heart. I struggled with my propensity to question much of what I read in Scripture, believing those questions made me an unworthy Christian. I could very much identify with the man in Mark 9:24 who exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” But this led me to label myself as double-minded, compounding my sense of unworthiness.
I’m grateful that God, in his goodness, has spoken into that broken identity through his Word and through the wise counsel of others, helping me see that asking questions is usually more indicative of an honest heart than a faithless one.
We don’t usually see a young child’s honest question as impertinent. More than likely, we would take the time to answer the question in a way that a child could understand.
Asking questions is usually more indicative of an honest heart than a faithless one.
To God, we are like the curious child who loves to ask questions. He doesn’t disparage our questions; he welcomes them. But his answers only come according to his perfect timing. I’ve often been surprised when something I’ve pondered for years suddenly becomes clear. This is the nature of revelation.
An older and wiser friend once explained that when we ask God for an explanation and don’t receive an in-depth answer, it may be that our hearts are not yet prepared to receive it. This can be a hard reality to accept. In our post-modern culture, we often crave immediate answers and instant gratification. But revelation isn’t always instantaneous—it is often a process or a journey.
So what exactly is revelation? We often mistake revelation for the discovery of something new, but it is actually the “unveiling of something hidden, so that it may be seen and known for what it is.”*
Imagine placing a bowl of fruit on top of a table. If you were to cover the table with a cloth, only the general size and shape of the fruit bowl would be evident, while most of its characteristic traits would be hidden. By removing the cloth, the fruit bowl can be seen for what it truly is—the same bowl, full of the same fruit that existed under the cloth. The bowl and its contents have merely been revealed. If the fruit is unfamiliar, it will take time to discover that the orange tastes different from the lemon, or that one can eat the apple’s skin but not the banana’s peel. As any curious young child knows, learning about the fruit is a process.
We aren’t supposed to have all the answers. If we did, we would most likely become arrogant in our knowledge and complacent in our relationship with God. Instead, we must wait on the Lord, trusting that he will bring revelation to our hearts in his perfect timing.
I used to think I had to know all the answers. But honestly, knowing I don’t need to have it all figured out feels like freedom. I want to be like that curious little child who can come to her father with all of her questions.
There are many wonderful examples of revelation in Scripture. The obvious one is the entire book of Revelation. But my favorite example is found in Luke 24:13–35.
As Cleopas and another disciple walked the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus, the resurrected Jesus joined them on the journey. Not recognizing Jesus, they engaged in a lengthy discussion about what had recently transpired in Jerusalem, specifically the crucifixion of Christ. Remarkably, Jesus’s identity was veiled as he imparted divine understanding to these two disciples who are described in the Greek as “slow of heart to believe” (v. 25). The story concludes with Jesus revealing himself through the breaking of bread, later on causing these men to ask, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”(v. 32)
Like these two disciples, we are often “slow to believe”. But as we journey with Jesus, he is faithful to reveal himself to us through the Word and through prayer. As we grow in wisdom, the veil is lifted, and the eyes of our hearts are opened to see him as he really is. Through this profound revelation, we also come to know ourselves as beloved children of God, seeing ourselves as we have always been known by him.
*“Revelation”, New Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed., 2004, p. 1014.
Scripture quotations are from the New International Version of the Bible.
Shay S. Mason is the author of Rest for the Weary and can often be found battling her espresso machine. @shaysmason