That We Might Know
1 Corinthians 2:9-12 NKJV
9 But as it is written:
"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
People have often quoted verse nine as a standalone verse. "But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." If you stop right there, you miss what the Holy Spirit is conveying. Human natural eyes and ears have not been able to tune into the things God has prepared for those who love Him, which is a bit sad. God has prepared things for those who love Him, but they can't see it or hear it, nor has it entered their heart. This is why it is so important to read what comes before and, in this case, what comes after the verse.
Verse ten says, "But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit." That is simple and yet quite profound. The eyes and ears of man may not be able to pick up what God has prepared, but that's okay; the Holy Spirit reveals those things to us. The Holy Spirit is the One who searches all things, even the deep things of God. It is the Holy Spirit who knows the things of God and reveals them to us.
Paul uses the analogy that no one knows the things of a person except the spirit of a person in them. In the same way, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Once again, we do not stop there. Paul goes on to state that we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God. And the reason is that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God. One of the reasons the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a gift from God is so we might know. God wants us to know the good things He has for us and what He has done for those of us who are united with Christ. Paul spoke of the unsearchable riches of Christ and Christ in us, the hope of glory. And thankfully, we have the Spirit of God living in us who knows all these things.
Application
Instead of focusing on all the things we don't know and don't understand. A better strategy would be to focus on what we do know. And we know that the Holy Spirit has been given to us to teach us and guide us into all truth. He has been given that we might know. That's something we can be thankful for. Something we can rejoice about.
Prayer
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the gift of the Holy Spirit. That we might know.