Knowing...

On my flight home yesterday, the Lord prompted me to read 1 Corinthians. I paused for a good long while in chapter 2:

9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?”  But we have the mind of Christ.

We tend to “get” the first part… but utterly ignore the rest. There’s even a popular song that paraphrases the “Eye has not seen” bit (Holy Spirit Rain Down, by Hillsong):

No eye has seen / no ear has heard / no mind can know / what God has in store … so open up heaven / open it wide / over our hearts / and over our lives

Here’s the promise of this passage, my friends:

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?”  But we have the mind of Christ.

Those things that God has prepared for us… that “no eye can see…” … those are the very things that the Holy Spirit will make known to us. These are not physical realities but spiritual.

Consider the words of Jesus on this subject:

Joh 14:17 – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

Joh 15:26 – “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

Joh 16:13 – However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

Friends, we have the mind of Christ and can know the hidden things of God. He is such a marvelous mystery! But He only reveals these truths to those who love Him, who are in relationship with Him, who long to know as they are known. Pursue Him with all your heart, and all your mind, and all your soul, and all your strength.