Beyond Knowing
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Romans 11:33 (NIV)
Ponder this: What would life be like if we could completely know and understand God? For me, it is beyond my comprehension! I cannot possibly wrap my mind around such a concept. Susie Colby (All God’s Creatures) shares her insights learned from whale watching.
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I love whales. I cheer when a calf is born, feel anxious when an adult seems malnourished, and mourn the deaths of older whales. Despite frequent ferry trips and beach walks, I almost never see orcas myself. But I was quite concerned recently when the J-pod of resident orcas hadn’t been seen in 108 days, a record absence of the family group spotted often in the Salish Sea. Theories about their absence proliferated. My favorite is this: Following the matriarch’s death, the pod has had to reorganize itself, and finding a new way takes time.
It has been sixteen months since my husband’s death, and our family continues to be disoriented by his loss. Somehow there is solace in imagining the whale family navigating waters of grief too. Friends tell me where they believe God is in the midst of the tumult, but I feel no desire to pin God down. It’s enough to know He is out there. I don’t need to see or understand in order to believe.
This week the orca pod was spotted once again in the Salish Sea; our resident pod had gathered with two transient pods near the San Juan Islands. Where they had been and why they returned and gathered are mysteries. I enjoy learning. I read about whales and visit research stations. But I love whales because they are beyond my understanding. There’s more we don’t know than what we do, and even what we know points to greater mystery.
It's tempting to imagine that if we could only understand God, our faith would be greater or stronger, but to understand God fully would require Him to exist within the small bounds of our minds. I find reassurance in knowing that God is so much more than what my mind can comprehend, and relating to God is characterized by more wonder than even the whales inspire.
This alone is true knowledge of God—to know that God is beyond knowing. —Thomas Aquinas
Holy Jesus, thank You for loving us. When we speak Your name, You show us more and more of Yourself. Teach us to spend time with You as we long to dive deeper. AMEN.