The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law – Deuteronomy 29:29
I have a close friend; his name is James.[1] We’ve known each other for more than forty years. We started our friendship in seminary. He’s retired from ministry now, but the Lord is still using him, at least He is in my life. James is that friend the Bible says, “sticks closer than a brother.” We were recently texting back and forth and discussing how blessed we are about our grandchildren. If parents could experience the blessedness of grandparenting, they’d have a lot more children. As James shared a photo of three of his grandchildren, he was moved to remember one of his grandchildren he recently lost. I won’t go into details of the short life of that little one, but the impact that young boy had on my friend and his parents and family far exceeded his short life span.
My friend went on to share some profound revelation with me. He texted, “I think I’ve spent too much of my life coddling the notion that in order for things to be ‘right’ every single thing must be right. This is not only impossible, it’s not true.” James then shared some scriptures to support his revelation:
Ecclesiastes 3:1 – To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
Psalm 30:5 – For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
Romans 12:15 – Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
2 Corinthians 6:10 – as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
He then said, “There are many things that you and I will always be sorrowful about. If pushed we might even be moved to tears. But that same sorrow, if cultivated right can become fertilizer for joy.” “Fertilizer for joy,” that caught my eye. Don’t ever let anyone tell you texting conversations can’t be profound.
James is right. Life is inevitably filled with events and situations that can move us to deep sorrow and tears. But how we respond to such situations is what determines if we stay in the sorrow or come through rejoicing. It helps to have someone there with you who is willing to weep with you and rejoice with you.
Even pastors struggle with losses in life. There are things in this world that God in His sovereign determination allows to happen that we just can’t understand. The Bible says, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law’ (Deuteronomy 29:29). There are some things that happen in this life that will remain, “secret.” There are occurrences that will cause us to grapple and even brood. Even the strongest in faith hit an occasional wall of non-understanding. In fact, you probably haven’t lived too long if you’ve never hit such a wall. Walls that keep us from understanding are inevitable. It’s what you do when you hit the wall that determines whether you maneuver it ending in darkness or leaping over it in deliverance.
What do you do with a verse that says, “So the LORD said to him [i.e. Moses], ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD?” (Exodus 4:11). What do you do with such a statement from God? Does God create abnormalities? A lifetime of faith in Jesus and ministry and much prayerful pondering has led me to see that God isn’t the Author of abnormalities, but He is the Sovereign Overseer of them. For reasons beyond our understanding God allows terrible things in life.
The closest I have come to understanding the terrible in life is that we live in a sinful fallen world. This creation as we know it is not as it was originally created. Sin has thrown it off kilter. There is a planetary effect that our first parent’s sin has had on this world. Our world is still beautiful in many ways, but its DNA links are abnormalized. Storms are frightening and deadly. Earthquakes shake the strongest human structures to the ground. Tsunamis ravage communities and cities. And human beings, children, get sick, and are born with defects like blindness, deafness, and other terribly hurtful and life shortening conditions. Modern medical science is sometimes able to correct the defects. My youngest son was born with a congenital heart defect, and doctors were able to do such an incredible job of fixing him that today he is a husband and father of four, a pastor, and personal trainer. He and we were fortunate for such a repair. But others, many others, are not so fortunate. For them, even the short-lived lives of a little one leave a lifelong impression. Why some survive and some don’t is one of those “secret things” areas that we have to leave with the LORD.
It’s important to understand the planetary nature of sin. There are Boll Weevil’s and moles in life that ruin the fruit that can be birthed through trials. These are the people who when something terrible happens they immediately look to assign blame. Such was the case with a man born blind that was brought to Jesus. “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2). Jesus’ response was, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned. . .” Some trials in life are indeed caused by the personal sinful choices people make. But not all are. Assigning blame or attributing sin in times of trials can be like drying out a crop and setting a match to a harvest of good God could bring from a bad situation. A better response would be to water as the Spirit leads, with the word of God (John 16:13; Ephesians 5:26).
This life lived in this fallen world is filled with fertilizing situations. Fertilizer is waste. Fertilizer is offensive to our senses. But fertilizer is what makes things grow. The way a person with a physical affliction or illness responds to their condition can determine whether they become stronger from it or weakened by it. How you cultivate with the fertilizer the LORD apportions in your life will determine the color and fruitfulness of your life’s garden. It takes trying fertilizer in life to produce the fruit of the Spirit which is love. Such love, if tended and harvested in the Holy Spirit, produces “joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). My brother James would likely testify that, while the loss of his grandchild hurt like nothing else he’s experienced in life, he came away from that pain with deeper, broader, fuller definition of what love actually is.
“Joy,” what is it? Joy is not happiness. Happiness depends on happenings, on circumstances and therefore is very limited. Happiness does not overcome difficulties. Trials don’t bring happiness, they bring joy. Joy is a deep-in-the-heart settled assurance from the Holy Spirit that no matter what, Jesus is in control. Joy causes you to depend on Jesus. Joy brings you closer to Jesus. Joy is the close empathetic embrace of Jesus that holds you together when everything else around you is falling apart, including you! Joy is something that only the Holy Spirit can give you.
The Apostle Paul wrote about joy from a prison cell. He first expressed joy to his readers by saying, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Joy is certainty and assurance from the Holy Spirit that you’re going to make it through. Joy is a confidence that God will complete His work in and through you despite prison cells or incidents in life that threaten to lock you up or bring you down to the depths.
Jesus said that God allows illness and trials “that the works of God should be revealed. . . .” (John 9:3). The Apostle Paul echoed something similar in his Philippian letter of joy saying, “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel” (Philippians 1:12). Paul was enabled to see the purpose of his prison plight. But that insight isn’t always present. When such insight isn’t coming, it’s then that we have to surrender ourselves and our situation to the Lord.
My life verse is, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). The verse that follows that is, “But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell” (Philippians 1:22). Paul was saying that he didn’t know what the future held for him, but he knew Who held the future. The sense of Paul’s words is, No matter what, I’m living for Jesus. “To die is gain,” not merely because it ends some earthly torment, but because it brings us closer to Jesus. And that my friend, is the essence of joy.
If you’re going through a time of fertilization, I encourage you to prayerfully consider the short letter of Paul to the Philippians. Many times I have found solace, peace, and yes, joy in that letter when going through difficult times. That letter will help you get closer to Jesus by revealing His way of thinking to you (Philippians 2:5-11). That letter speaks of the joyous “fellowship of His sufferings” (Philippians 3:10). That letter is a very practical portion of scripture as it points us to overcome our fears and anxieties with prayer (Philippians 4:6-7) That letter shows us the joy producing parameters of right thinking (Philippians 4:8-9). It’s a letter that helps us handle times of need (Philippians 4:11-12). It’s a letter that makes a strong case that, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). That’s because, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Whatever you need in whatever circumstance of life you find ourself in, go to Jesus.
Lastly, returning to Deuteronomy 29:29, there are “secret things” that belong to the LORD. But remember, there are also “things which are revealed. . .” that “belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Prayer is our means to pour out our hurt and sorrow and confusion to the Lord in fertilizing times. But God responds to us through His word. Whenever you’re faced with a trial, grab your Bible and be ready for the Lord to speak. Even if what you’re going through is one of those “secret things” that belong to Him, He will give you enough to get through fruitfully.
Yes, as my friend that sticks closer than a brother James texted, “. . . sorrow, if cultivated right can become fertilizer for joy.” Such sorrowful times, though bittersweet, fertilize us and bear the fruit of the Spirit’s love and joy in us. So don’t allow yourself to be bound by difficulties. Don’t let the brick wall of the “secret things” of the LORD stop your faith. Understand that though you don’t have all the answers or solutions, Jesus is still in control. Understand that though the fertilizer may bury you in darkness at first, if you look to the Lord and let it do its work, it will produce fruit in your life, it will produce joy.
Father in heaven, we come to You in Jesus’ name. Father, there are secret things You have allowed that confuse us, and challenge our faith, but please lead us in the things You have revealed in Your word to help us through. Help us bear fruit. Help us Jesus, to draw close to You. Help us to harvest Your joy in every cultivating fertilizing situation in our lives. And Father, would you please bless my friend and brother James. Would You bless Him and those like him who are going through fertilizing times. Father, please make us what we need to be, to do what You call us to do, for Your glory, until Jesus returns. In Jesus‘ name. Amen.
[1] “James” is a pseudonym.