Who doesn’t love a good mystery? I’ll admit I can become addicted to crime shows on TV. I am fascinated by how detectives gather clues and create theories behind a criminal’s motive. I especially like it when an episode convinces me that a specific person is guilty, and I later discover I was wrong. Mysteries make great stories! And, let’s be honest, there is nothing more mysterious than God. He is unfathomably a being that exists beyond our understanding. Yet, as we have studied this year in our journey through the “Beautiful year in the Bible,” He wants us to know Him. He gives us clues to solve unanswered questions and see beyond our limitations. Let’s learn a lot from Little Pot and begin solving the mystery of God.

Understanding who God is.

The first step to solving a mystery is understanding the case and the people involved. When determining whether a person was involved in a crime, detectives want to know everything they can about them. Each aspect of their personality and activities can provide clues to solving the mystery. Consequently, we need to understand who God is.

Last year, we wrote a series of blogs about the roots underneath the fruit of the Spirit. In those articles, we addressed big questions and discussed Who God is. Here is a link to the article about Our mysterious God. In that blog, we share the following quote:

“God does not come to us in nicely defined, rationally explained, thought categories. God does not fit Himself into our theological textbooks. God breaks all the rules. He is near, yet transcendent; clothed in human form, yet holy; more terrifying than can be imagined, yet compassionate; invisible, yet revealed; judging, yet merciful; sovereign, yet humble. No matter where you look, God breaks the molds.”-Skip Moen, Today’s Word

No matter how long we live, we can never fully understand who God is. We could study Him every day of our entire life and still not understand. Our definitions typically come from our parents, culture, church, media, and our own experiences. The problem is that none of these areas fully define Him. Because there is nothing or no one more significant, God must reveal Himself to us. And that requires a relationship. God wants a relationship with us. He has from the very beginning. That’s good news because, as detectives, we gain even more clues if we get close to the people surrounding a case.

Reading scripture can grow our relationship with God. Let’s begin by gathering clues in the following scriptures.

Scriptures to Trust in a Mysterious God

• Psalms 12-16
• Romans 9-10
• Genesis 16-19
• Joshua 21-24
• Job 9-10
• Isaiah 23-28
• Matthew 11-13

Searching for a Mysterious God

Listening to the verses listed above made me realize I was in good company. People have been playing the detective and trying to understand the mysteries of God since time began. For example, in Psalm 13, David feels forgotten but trusts God’s unfailing love. In Romans 9-10, Paul shares how hard it is to understand God’s love for the Israelites and the Gentiles. Little Pot, Tea Pot, Oil Lamp, and Small Jar love Romans 9:21. This verse reminds us that the Potter can use the same lump of clay to create beautiful jars of decoration and pots to hold trash. Each of us is a vessel made for HIs purpose and glory.

Likewise, the verses in Genesis tell how Abraham and Sarah humbly bargained with God and laughed at His mysterious ways. In Job, we see how Job had to come to terms with a Mysterious God that He could not understand. Finally, in Matthew, John the Baptist even struggled to understand the mystery of God. Jesus says to His followers, “No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Matt. 11: 27)

Trusting in a Mysterious God

We will never be able to solve the mystery of God altogether. I believe that is the main point. God is not a mystery to be solved. He is a Potter that we need to trust. He is okay with our questions and loves to reveal clues about Himself to us. However, when we do not discover the answers we seek, we must rely on faith. Luckily, He is mysterious enough to give us the faith we need. Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit.

The Mysterious Fruit of the Spirit

God will mysteriously produce His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control through us. These are not qualities that we possess on our own. They grow as we surrender to Christ, stay humble, and plant God’s Word. Little Pot explains the process in seven steps. Enter your first name and email below to download Little Pots’s seven steps to becoming a fruit pot! Additionally, you’ll receive a Fruitful Friday email each week where you can continue to “Learn a lot from a little pot!”