The God Beyond Understanding

“Why do you ask my name?” the angel of the Lord replied. “It is too wonderful for you to understand.” Judges 13:18 (NLT)

Arise and shine, dear one! God is with you!

When I chose to start reading through the Bible in a year, I noticed Scripture passages and stories that were so fascinating, but that I had never heard mentioned in a sermon on Sunday or taught in Sunday School growing up. One of those stories that caught my attention was about Samson’s mom. I knew a lot about Samson, but nothing about his mom and her amazing encounter with the Angel of the Lord.

Judges 13 describes the experience of Samson’s parents as they learn about the son they would have. This story is intriguing in how the Angel of the Lord keeps appearing to Samson’s mom, even though Samson’s dad has requested the Angel of the Lord to come to him and give him more specific details on how to raise their son.

As we see throughout Scripture, it’s common to want to know the name of the One speaking to them, but the Angel of the Lord (who is really God showing up in some form), says that His name is “too wonderful for you to understand.” Some translations use the phrase “beyond understanding.” While God didn’t give Samson’s parents the instruction manual on how to parent Samson, He gave them an encounter with God that they would never forget, and He reminded them that God is far bigger than they could ever grasp.

I know I often wish that life came with more detailed instructions as to the next steps or what lies ahead that I can’t see. God has given us the blessing of His Word and in it we can better know who our God is, trusting that what we don’t see ahead, He sees. As we spend time with Him, reading Scripture, talking with Him, our trust in the One who is too wonderful for us to understand will grow. We’ll realize that God has given us what we need for today and not get caught up in the details of tomorrow.

What areas of your life are you longing for more details in the next steps, dear one? Have you prayed about it or read God’s Word regarding your situation? While you may not understand how God is at work, rest in the Truth that God knows what He’s doing, and you can trust Him. He’s enough for today.