Unraveling Divine Secrets

God Hides His Secrets In Plain View

Philippe Petit is a French hire wire artist who gained fame for his unauthorized walks between the towers of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1971 and Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1973. He saved His most famous performance on 7 August 1974, when he walked between the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City.

This past Sunday, my pastor used an illustration of a high wire artist to illustrate a verse in the Bible: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16)

I looked up synonyms for circumspect: alert, focused, attentive, careful, and informed. So our pastor encouraged us to walk in an alert, focused, attentive, careful, and informed way. No wonder he displayed that image of a tightrope!!

This morning a gentleman sent me an email that provided great clarity. He said, “A tightrope walker uses a stick to help his balance, but we as Christians walk holding the Word (the Bible) to keep our balance.” The simplicity of his analysis struck me.

It occurred to me that God hides His secrets in plain view. What?

I learned that God hides things in the open 40 years ago. I was crying out to God with great intensity: “Lord, reveal to me who my wife will be!” I returned from my first overseas tour in Korea, a changed man, in 1978. I was a young single, sold-out Christian with a job attending church services in Washington, DC.

Few young men went to church back then, but lots of young ladies did. Well spoke Solomon of old who said, “There is nothing new under the sun.”

I continued to cry out week after week. “Lord, reveal to me who my wife will be,” but nothing happened for over three years. I didn’t know that God had a secret. I did not realize that I was looking my future wife in the face every Sunday morning. She was a Sunday School student of mine, and we sang in choirs together!

The gentlemen who sent me that email about tightrope walking said that we can maintain our balance if we hold on to the word of God. I’d tell you that having a consistent prayer life will eventually unravel the most profound mysteries you will encounter. We’d both tell you that there are no short cuts and no such thing as a quick fix.

I asked a medical doctor who swims in the same pool with me at the YMCA about ankle and knee replacements. He got visibly upset and struggled to put his words together. He said, “Kevin, I can’t tell you the number of people who have cursed me out after I’ve recommended lifestyle changes over other treatments. They say, “doc, just tell me how I can get fixed now!”

Last week I ran into a buddy in my neighborhood who was a financial advisor about 20 years ago. He said, “Kevin, I had to get out of the business. I could have followed company policy and made money off folks, but I couldn’t do it.

I tried to get folks to do things in their interest, but many refused. One church lady told me I was the devil because I advised her against putting all of her available savings in a church parking lot project.”

Allow me to explain why the “twin towers” of Bible reading and prayer enable us to become high wire artists.

Answer: Because God will honor your faithful obedience and begin to reveal His secrets to you. “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.” (Psalms 25:14)

Facing enormous debt? Entangled in relationship issues that are like trying to unscramble eggs? Got that report from the doctor and don’t know how to proceed?

Let me encourage you that God hides His secrets in plain view. The answers you are seeking are not off in the distance but right in front of you. If you seek God with all your heart, He’ll lift you out of a horrible pit and give you a brand new start. He will reveal His secrets to you. God never fails. He’ll come through for you.

Time for some high wire acts and exploits. I believe there is a little Philippe Petit in all of you. Not just you but some of Philippe in me too! God Bless! Press On!! Kevin