No book has ever been published that can surpass the record of the Bible as a bestseller. Every year, it tops the chart of bestselling books. This is not surprising at all, since the Bible is the Word of God and it contains accounts of the wonders that God had done. However, not everyone who reads the Bible will appreciate its contents. This is particularly true to unbelievers, because “the man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14). We need to be born again and Spirit-filled for us to fully understand God’s works and words as recorded in the Bible. If not, the Bible will only be ink and paper and read just like any other storybook—no spiritual or life-changing significance.
For us to fully understand the contents of the Bible, we need to cry out to God, saying, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” (Psalm 119:18). Indeed, incredible wonders can be found in the Bible. Foremost is the wonder of God’s creation. This creation theory is one that needs to be fully grasped by us—how we are fearfully and wonderfully made. And how can we explain the wonder of the parting of the Red Sea, so that God’s Chosen People, the Israelites, can pass through it on dry ground? Was this an isolated case? Certainly not! The Lord also cut off the flow of the Jordan River so that the Israelites can pass through it on dry land as they entered the Promised Land (Joshua 3:17). This is not to mention the case when Elijah and Elisha also crossed the Jordan River on dry ground as the Lord divided the water (2 King 2:8, 14). There is also the multiplication of bread to feed hundreds by Elijah and thousands by Jesus, in addition to the healing of sicknesses and raising of the dead. All these are too wonderful for us to understand, but these happened that we might know that we have a great God who does wonders.
God’s wonders are beyond man’s comprehension. As a result, countless people perceive them in disbelief rather than in faith. They do so because “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they could not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4). They cannot go beyond what their mind can comprehend and their eyes can see. They do not have the faith to believe in God and in what he can do. They would rather go with the world’s dictum: To see is to believe. They are no different from the people that the prophet Isaiah spoke about when he said, “Be ever hearing but never understanding; be ever seeing but never perceiving” (Isaiah 6:9). No matter how much they read the Bible, for as long as their hearts are not ready to receive God’s truth, their reading will be in vain. They will only end up more confused, because they are like the blind that grope in the dark.
How, then, can they understand the Scriptures? The apostle Paul said, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened…” (Eph. 1:17-18). Yes, unless our hearts are enlightened, we will never understand the ways of God, much more his wonders. We need to ask God to open our spiritual eyes so that we can see and understand the things of the Spirit. We need to remember that spiritual things are spiritually discerned. The key, then, to the proper understanding of the Bible and to appreciate God’s wonders is for us to walk in the Spirit. However, we can never walk in the Spirit unless we are born again. It is only then that the Spirit of wisdom and revelation will be received by us. Needless to say, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Let us not miss the wonders of God. It happened in the past, as recorded in the Scriptures, and it will happen again to us, if we believe. We need to continuously cry out, “Open my eyes that I may see wonders in your law.” Hallelujah!
