Ephesians 1:9-11 (TPT) And through the revelation of the Anointed One, he unveiled his secret desire for to us- the hidden mystery of his long-range plan, which he was delighted to implement from the very beginning of time. And because of God’s unfailing purpose, this detailed plan will reign supreme through every period of time until the fulfillment of all ages finally reaches its climax- when God makes all things new in all of heaven and earth through Jesus Christ. Through our own union with Christ we too have been claimed by God as his own inheritance. Before we were ever born, he gave us our destiny, that we would fulfill the plan of God who always accomplishes every purpose and plan in his heart.
I can recall several times that I had dabbled with the idea of Christianity. I didn’t even remember these moments until I was writing this. I now recall the story of how the Lord carried me through my time as a ward of the state after suffering from severe abuse. That is when I got the tattoo of the cross on my arm with a vine wrapped around it. I didn’t understand it then, but I now see that I was marked from that point forward. I couldn’t outrun His calling on my life, as hard as I tried. I now realize that God was revealing deep mysteries to me that I could not understand. My entire life has been a continual unveiling of the purposes of God for my life. The following is an excerpt from Barclay on this passage:
“It is now that Paul is really getting to grips with his subject. He says, as the King James Version has it, that God made known to us “the mystery of his will.” The New Testament uses the word mystery in a special sense. It is not something mysterious in the sense that it is hard to understand. It is something that has long been kept secret and has now been revealed, but is still incomprehensible to the person who has not been initiated into its meaning.
Let us take an example. Suppose someone who knew nothing whatever about Christianity was brought into a Communion service. To him it would be a complete mystery; he would not understand in the least what was going on. But to a man who knows the story and the meaning of the Last Supper, the whole service has a meaning which is quite clear. So, in the New Testament sense a mystery is something which is hidden to the heathen but clear to the Christian.”
God is intricate in every detail. If you look back into your life, you will find the moments that God was beckoning you, but you did not understand until the eyes of your heart became enlightened. Paul had the scales fall from his eyes. God is the God of suddenly. You can be searching for meaning your whole life, and in one instant of divine revelation, Heaven itself is revealed to you by the power of the cross. God reveals to us deep mysteries. Have you seen the Lord for who He is?