Romans 11:33-36 AMPC
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unfathomable (inscrutable, unsearchable) are His judgments (His decisions)! And how untraceable (mysterious, undiscoverable) are His ways (His methods, His paths)! [34] For who has known the mind of the Lord and who has understood His thoughts, or who has [ever] been His counsellor? [35] Or who has first given God anything that he might be paid back or that he could claim a recompense? [36] For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. [For all things originate with Him and come from Him; all things live through Him, and all things centre in and tend to consummate and to end in Him.] To Him be glory forever! Amen (so be it).
In many ways our Lord is past finding out.
Job, when faced with great loss and disease, cried out about God:
“Even today my complaint is bitter; His hand is heavy in spite of my groaning.
If only I knew where to find Him;
if only I could go to His dwelling!
I would state my case before Him and fill my mouth with arguments.
I would find out what He would answer me, and consider what He would say to me.
Job 23:2-5
We, like Job, think we know.. we think we could stand toe to toe and argue our case before God and come out on top!
How foolish we are, compared with the depth of the Lord's wisdom.
We see things from our own selfish motives, He sees with deeper insight.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9
Our dog, Roki, is quite a smart dog. Yet, compared to our knowledge, as limited as it may be, our ways and thoughts are so much higher than his. For example when he sees a dog on TV, he can't see that it's not real - he will bark and charge at it, hackles up!
In the same way, God's ways and thoughts transcend our mortal ideas and perceptions.
In the Anglican communion service there is a great prayer taken, I believe from Romans 11:
"All things come from You and of Your own do we give You"!
We may commend ourselves for what we give, what we know & what we do, but even those very gifts are given to us by God.
In the end there is nothing to commend our self to the Lord except the height and depth of the Lord's love displayed in Jesus.
Selah!
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