Deciphering Enigma

DEVOTIONAL Wouldn’t it be nice if every issue were black and white—crystal clear? Every single issue. Every subject. Every day. It would undoubtedly simplify decision-making, conscience issues, controversies and might even prevent some discord. But we don’t live in simple times. Life is not simple. We live in a complex world. I think we have lost our ability to think deeply through individual issues, and instead, we have adopted blanket ideologies that represent contradictory views. We don’t have the luxury of functioning under faulty assumptions and superficial influence. We stand and fight for righteousness in one area while we neglect and undervalue others. It doesn’t have to be that way. We can stand for biblical truth in all areas. We are living in a time of “enigma.” An enigma is a puzzle, something hard to understand. It is in this sense that we need the spirit of Daniel, who was able to decipher enigma. Daniel had “an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding,” and he was able to “interpret dreams, solve riddles, and explain enigmas.” (Daniel 5:12; NKJV) Additionally, we live in a time of biblical illiteracy and are unsure of what God’s moral standards are. It is in this sense that I think we need the diligence of Timothy. Paul encouraged Timothy with these words, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 NKJ) So, how do we deal with the complexities and faulty assumptions of our day? Through the tension and the fog—we need to more and more—be able to decipher enigma by rightly diving the Word of Truth. You will never be able to get rid of the tension, but you can learn to navigate it. Let’s start by being more like Daniel and Timothy.