nothing compared to God’s dreams for you. There is more to your life than what you can even imagine, so why not dare to dream big?
The Bible goes on to tell us that not only did Joseph’s dreams come to fruition, but his unexpected position and power in Egypt brought safety and care to his family and the nation. Your destiny is abundantly above all you could ask or imagine; your success, much like Joseph’s, was planned and dreamed for even before the foundations of the earth. Just as Joseph’s destiny ultimately took him to a place of great influence and authority, so too can your future bring blessing into your life and positively affect the lives of those around you. For us as believers, our success is never just for ourselves, and so often it simply starts with a dream.
We do not know this Australian’s name and we never will. We do not know his rank or his battalion. We do not know where he was born, nor precisely how and when he died. We do not know where in Australia he had made his home or when he left it for the battlefields of Europe. We do not know his age or his circumstances—whether he was from the city or the bush; what occupation he left to become a soldier; what religion, if he had a religion; if he was married or single. We do not know who loved him or whom he loved. If he had children we do not know who they are. His family is lost to us as he was lost to them. We will never know who this Australian was.
—PAUL KEATING, “Remembrance Day 1993:
Commemorative Address”
Similar to other countries, Australia has a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, located in Canberra. The mystery that surrounds the story of the unknown Australian soldier has captured the imagination of a nation. It tells of an unknown yet brave man who valiantly fought for his country and was wounded beyond recognition, leaving history to write his story.
Mystery, indeed, has intrigued the human soul for as long as time. Humanity’s intrepid nature has caused hundreds of explorers to conquer mountains that others said couldn’t be climbed. We are enamored with stories of the outer universe—places we have never been and never even seen. Human hearts have longed to travel farther than their imaginations will even allow. Tales of buried treasure and mysterious disappearances spark excitement in the minds of children; the great unknown draws people in like moths to a flame.
When I was a child, it was this penchant to understand that which wasn’t explained that often got me in trouble. “Don’t touch that hot plate, Brian.” “Stay Back, Wet Paint.” Warnings such as these were magnets for my curious personality. To this day, when food is delivered to my table with the warning “Be very careful—the plate is hot,” curiosity still sparks a compulsion for me to find out just how hot.
We are drawn to explain that which has no explanation.
It is natural, therefore, to be intrigued with the beauty and wonder of the vastness and mysterious nature of who God is. Our human understanding tries to reason Him into a rational and manageable size. Theologians try to explain Him and answer questions that continue to be asked time after time. Yet God remains far beyond human understanding. We cannot manage Him or fit Him into our realm of comprehension. We cannot restrict Him by our limited notions of what is possible. We want answers to questions that were meant to lead only to more questions. God is complex and ambiguous yet simple and clear.
Daring to dream big causes us to ask questions such as “What does God want for my life?” “How does God fit into this plan, or this plan into God’s?” “Does an infinite God even care about the finite details?” “Why did that roadblock stop me in my tracks?” and “Why does that person always seem to have more, while others have less?”
The Mystery of the Kingdom
In our quest to discover more of who we are and more of who God is, it is natural that we will come up against the unknown—the mysterious and often unanswerable. Even the apostle Paul referred to the mystery of Christ twenty-one times in his epistles. But perhaps it was Job who said it best when he wrote,
Do you think you can explain the mystery of God?
Do you think you can diagram God Almighty?
God is far higher than you can imagine,
far deeper than you can comprehend,
Stretching farther than earth’s horizons,
far wider than the endless ocean. (Job 11:7–9, MSG)
Jesus often used parables to peel back the great mysteries of the kingdom of God. He started almost all His stories with “The kingdom of God is like …” or “The kingdom of heaven is like …” and then went on to expound truth to listening crowds. These parables are simple, enabling us to relate the gospel to our everyday lives, even today, by talking of farming and fishing, vineyards and seed sowing. Yet they are also profound and layered with wonderful mysteries. We can find varying interpretations of every single one online at the click of a button.
Life with Jesus is filled with possibilities, and when we enter into relationship with Him, we enter into a world of wonderful secrets and revealed truth, especially when it comes to things beyond human understanding.
The statement “There is more” could not be truer about anything than that which we experience in the Christian life. There is more to know, there is more to understand, and there is more to come. The more we know about God and His Word, the more we realize we don’t yet know. Layer after layer, mystery after mystery, treasure after treasure, indeed more after more is revealed to us when seeking Him is our prize.
The Mystery of God’s Will
It was three o’clock in the morning. In the pitch black of night, the men peered over the side of the boat they were sailing in and saw a mysterious figure moving toward them across the water. Was it a ghost? What could this frightening encounter be? They had just finished ministering to a crowd of thousands earlier that day and were crossing the Sea of Galilee:
Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:25–33)
Let me tell you, just as the disciples discovered, there is so much intrigue, mystery, and suspense
