You don’t know what you don’t know
By JoAnn Auger
Jeremiah 33:3 – ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’
This verse is fascinating to me. When I read the verse for the first time in the NIV, the word unsearchable caught my attention. Unsearchable is defined as not capable of being searched or explored or knowable. It’s inaccessible. God is saying that if we call him – he will answer – tell us things we are not capable of knowing on our own.
I’m reminded about how people try to erase themselves from the internet. They want to be unsearchable. They want to be inaccessible. They do not want people knowing them or trying to find or communicate with them.
God, on the other hand, wants to be known – knowable – found. He desires to be accessible. He has given us the instructions in Jeremiah 33:3.
We first have to call Him
Have you gotten a phone call for help from someone “after the fact”? Your child or friend makes a terrible choice or poor decision. They didn’t seek your counsel to find what you know or the wisdom you may have before they did it. They are in a bad place and are now calling you for help. We say, “Why didn’t you call me first?” “Why didn’t you ask me?” Our heart hurts for them because if they had just called you before they did what they did, you could have saved them from this situation.
How often have we done things without calling GOD first? We didn’t ask Him what He thought about our situation. We didn’t seek His wisdom.
· We have to wait for the answer
We live in a 24/7 world. If we text someone and they don’t answer within minutes, we get frustrated and we make our own decision without their input. We like instant everything.
We often treat God as a 24/7 order filler. We ask. He gives. No waiting around. And we want an affirmative yes. Waiting is not our “thing”. And, we certainly do not want a “No” if it is our desire. God, what do you mean, “I need to wait”? What do you mean, “I need maturity and wisdom”? What do you mean, “It’s not time”? “I’m going to miss out, God!” We take things into our own hands because God has chosen not to be on our time table.
· Accept that He knows things we don’t know
I had a former co-worker who had this “I know it all” attitude. It didn’t matter what anyone’s idea was, his idea was the better one. He wanted everyone to know that he was the smartest person in the room. He was well-studied, well-read about multiple subjects. He didn’t need advice or input because “he already knew”. Those kinds of folks are exhausting, and they don’t realize how much they are missing out.
We do that with God. After all, we have the Word. We’ve studied it. We’re well-read. And we just know, “It’s the right thing to do!”
Do you really want to know the unsearchable things of God? Do you want to stop hiding in your sin? Are you tired of doing life without God’s input? Do you want to know what you don’t know? Take the first step – Call HIM!
