Life's Puzzles
By J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
01/17/2021
LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, nor with things too profound for me. (Psalm 131:1)
I was in the eighth grade when that famous puzzle Rubik’s Cube came out. It caught on like wild fire. Everyone had a Rubik’s Cube, including me, and I was determined to figure it out. For weeks I worked on it to no avail until finally my mom bought me a book called How to Solve Rubik’s Cube. I read it cover to cover and soon had the puzzle unscrambled.
Then my challenge became how fast I could solve it. My friends would time me as I worked on the cube. I was the talk of the school. The faster I got at solving Rubik’s Cube, the more like a rock star I felt. My eighth-grade geometry teacher further elevated my star status when she asked me to solve the puzzle in front of the whole class one Friday. I was nervous, of course, but I set a personal record that day, solving the cube in less than thirty seconds!
It all seems pretty silly looking back on it. It is amazing how obsessed we can become with solving puzzles and brainteasers. Have you ever played the game Mindbender? I have spent days trying to figure out some of the brainteasers from that game.
The desire to figure everything out is an innate tendency. God gave us a brain and an intellect, and it is only natural for us to try to understand life’s deeper mysteries. However, one of the qualities of spiritual maturity is the ability to trust God when a solution cannot be found. Simply put there are some things that the human mind will never be able to fully comprehend this side of heaven.
A wise biblical writer named Agur understood this principle. He wrote, “There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yes, four which I do not understand: The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a virgin.” (Proverbs 30:18-19) In other words, some things are meant to be beheld, not figured out.
The belief that man can ultimately solve life’s mysteries is a manifestation of pride. It is the same problem that was at the root of Adam and Eve’s sin and it is the same problem that is at the root of all sin. Whenever we put ourselves in the place of God we are acting out of pride. That is why David says in Psalm 131:1 that he will not concern himself with things too profound or difficult for him, because his heart is not proud. David was content to rest in God’s goodness and God’s provision without worrying about solving mankind’s greatest riddles. In the New Testament Paul picks up on this important truth when he writes, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33)
Indeed, some things are unsearchable. To the world, this truth seems foolish. The world tells us that if we just study it enough or dissect it enough or research it enough we will be able to figure it out. But as the people of Babel found out many millennia ago, God will only allow the wisdom of man to take us so far. When we begin to infringe on the sovereignty and wisdom of God, He inevitably steps in and reminds us where ultimate wisdom lies.
God gave us a brain. That is true. And yes, He expects us to use it. Yet, our intellectual pursuit, like all pursuits, must have as its ultimate goal the glory of God. There is great comfort that comes from resting in the Lord and knowing that although we might not understand it all, He does.
01/17/2021
LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, nor with things too profound for me. (Psalm 131:1)
I was in the eighth grade when that famous puzzle Rubik’s Cube came out. It caught on like wild fire. Everyone had a Rubik’s Cube, including me, and I was determined to figure it out. For weeks I worked on it to no avail until finally my mom bought me a book called How to Solve Rubik’s Cube. I read it cover to cover and soon had the puzzle unscrambled.
Then my challenge became how fast I could solve it. My friends would time me as I worked on the cube. I was the talk of the school. The faster I got at solving Rubik’s Cube, the more like a rock star I felt. My eighth-grade geometry teacher further elevated my star status when she asked me to solve the puzzle in front of the whole class one Friday. I was nervous, of course, but I set a personal record that day, solving the cube in less than thirty seconds!
It all seems pretty silly looking back on it. It is amazing how obsessed we can become with solving puzzles and brainteasers. Have you ever played the game Mindbender? I have spent days trying to figure out some of the brainteasers from that game.
The desire to figure everything out is an innate tendency. God gave us a brain and an intellect, and it is only natural for us to try to understand life’s deeper mysteries. However, one of the qualities of spiritual maturity is the ability to trust God when a solution cannot be found. Simply put there are some things that the human mind will never be able to fully comprehend this side of heaven.
A wise biblical writer named Agur understood this principle. He wrote, “There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yes, four which I do not understand: The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a virgin.” (Proverbs 30:18-19) In other words, some things are meant to be beheld, not figured out.
The belief that man can ultimately solve life’s mysteries is a manifestation of pride. It is the same problem that was at the root of Adam and Eve’s sin and it is the same problem that is at the root of all sin. Whenever we put ourselves in the place of God we are acting out of pride. That is why David says in Psalm 131:1 that he will not concern himself with things too profound or difficult for him, because his heart is not proud. David was content to rest in God’s goodness and God’s provision without worrying about solving mankind’s greatest riddles. In the New Testament Paul picks up on this important truth when he writes, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33)
Indeed, some things are unsearchable. To the world, this truth seems foolish. The world tells us that if we just study it enough or dissect it enough or research it enough we will be able to figure it out. But as the people of Babel found out many millennia ago, God will only allow the wisdom of man to take us so far. When we begin to infringe on the sovereignty and wisdom of God, He inevitably steps in and reminds us where ultimate wisdom lies.
God gave us a brain. That is true. And yes, He expects us to use it. Yet, our intellectual pursuit, like all pursuits, must have as its ultimate goal the glory of God. There is great comfort that comes from resting in the Lord and knowing that although we might not understand it all, He does.
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