Psalm 147:5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

Recently I spoke about verses that are easily misunderstood because our modern understanding does not match the understanding of the peoples of the time of the writing. What occurred to me the next day was something I had not thought about at the time of that writing.

God knew how we would understand those words in our present time.

Does that make our modern interpretation wrong or in error?

Is it possible for God to relate to each generation according to their personal experience? Well yes He can, but how is it possible that this God who inspired words to be written so long ago could make them relevant at any age?

We say that the Word is alive but what does that really mean? Is that an expression of relevance? If it is there is only one explanation which I find satisfying. God is Omnipresent. He has been there from the beginning and He is still here with us today. It isn’t the magical mystery of the written word that brings scriptures to life, it is His presence that makes the Word alive.

Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure, which He hath purposed in Himself.

That is just a true today as when Paul wrote it nearly two thousand years ago. The mystery of His will is how we can all listen to the same sermon and come away with a different message. Relevance is personal and no preacher can plan a sermon to fit everyone. All he can try to do is be faithful to God in his preparation and trust that God will be present in the message. Christ in us, God in us, the Holy Spirit in us is the relevant mystery.