“Entrusted by God”

Daily Devotional – Tuesday, October 12, 2021

​"When the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Keep secret what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down.’” (Revelation 10:4, NLT)

Could God entrust you to keep a secret? I was struck by that incredible thought as I reread a portion of the vision that God gave to the Apostle John, while on the Island of Patmos. We often talk about being entrusted to share God’s Good News, but I can’t recall ever really thinking through the fact that God has secrets, too. John, the longest living Apostle and traditionally thought to be the only one of the twelve who died of old age—all the others having died as martyrs—finds himself imprisoned on a bare rock and God reveals the incredible scenes that unfold in the Book of Revelation.

People have struggled to understand this book as literal or metaphorical, describing events during John’s day and/or the future. I suspect it is all of the above; the fact that the vision shown to John contains portions he is not even permitted to write about appears to demonstrate that it was never God’s intent that it should be a straightforward read, easily understood, or compartmentalized. Our ability to understand John’s vision is even further removed today, as it was written in an Apocryphal style, which was a common form of writing in times gone by; unfortunately, much of its imagery and use of this writing genre are unknown to us.

Imagine being in John’s position—privileged to hear the vision in its entirety, yet entrusted by God to keep it secret. But then, as I think about it, maybe that isn’t the most incredible thing. When it comes to sharing what we know about God, too many of us have the ‘keeping it secret’ down pat. Our challenge is to share the message we’ve been given to tell others. So, whether we have been called to keep God’s secret or share His messages (something we should all be doing), it still represents a trust that God has placed in His children. May we be found worthy!
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Pastor Jane