Pentecost Season Devotion, July 18

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
    or who has been his counselor?”
“Or who has given a gift to him
    that he might be repaid?”
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Romans 11:33-36

One of the great joys of childhood is playing in the mud. Next to my childhood home was a corn field. Running and walking down the rows of corn with the warm July mud pushing up between my toes is a cherished memory.

Moms aren’t always so thrilled with mud. However, there is one place where moms are often seen playing in the mud, Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. There you will find moms, dads, and kids sitting and digging in the dirt. Now and then one of them will find a small dirty rock. Upon closer examination, it may turn out to be a rare gemstone. In 1990 the world’s only perfect diamond was found there.

Sometimes little jewels can be overlooked or lost in the vast landscape. The same is true for the liturgy. One little item that attracts almost no attention and is omitted by many worship planners is the gradual. But upon closer examination the gradual turns out to be a gemstone in the panorama of the morning service. Wedged in between the reading of the lessons, it can seem insignificant and quite dispensable.

The gradual is a verse or two of Scripture. It changes throughout the church year according to the seasons. It will often give you insight into the themes of the day or season.

The gradual for this week is one of those treasures that would be a shame to miss:

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

For from him and through him and to him are all things.

To him be glory forever. Amen.

Romans 11:33, 36

One question of childhood is “Why?” Small children are known to repeat this word over and over. As our understanding increases, we ask this question less and less. Still there are times when the events of life become so confusing and disappointing that we may look up to God and ask “Why?” with more earnestness than ever before.

God often does things in ways that surpass our understanding. It takes faith to trust that His ways are always the best. Many Christians have experienced a time when they questioned God’s wisdom only to discover days, weeks, months, or years later that God’s plan was infinitely better than any they could have laid out for themselves.

God greatest and most incomprehensible plan is the cross. Why God loved us so much to send His Son, Jesus to be our Savior is beyond human comprehension. But such is the love of God.

May we spend our days trusting the goodness of His holy will in our lives.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your love for me in Christ. Grant that I may learn to trust and accept your plans even when they seem to be contrary to mine. Amen.

Digging For Diamonds

God’s richest blessings in Christ,

Pastor Philip Quardokus