Hymn Series
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
Watching my sons grow and learn new things is a joy and an adventure. While the younger one is fascinated by a rubber ball that can bounce down the hall and change direction, the older one is enamoured with how grass grows and is curious about, well, pretty much everything. Every new experience they encounter is a mystery, and with each mystery they set out to discover the answers to explain them.
As I watch them learn, I am often reminded of the magnitude of these seemingly simple mysteries they find that God set into motion when He created all things. I also see how these wonders often go unnoticed in adulthood. Our minds establish that these “mysteries” are just how things work, and they lose their wonder. As Christians, we can fall prey to this same sequence in regard to the great mysteries of the Gospel story.
As Christians, we can fall prey to this same sequence of losing our wonder for the great mysteries of the Gospel story
In the modern hymn, “Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery” by Matt Boswell, Matt Papa and Michael Bleecker, we are reminded in four verses of the mystery of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ, respectively. A timely song for the church, its easy melody and rich theology point us to the mystery of the Gospel and remind us of the truths we often forget the weight of. Here’s a reminder of this beautiful story and the impact it has on the world.
Come behold the wondrous mystery
In the dawning of the King
He the theme of heaven’s praises
Robed in frail humanity
In our longing, in our darkness
Now the light of life has come
Look to Christ, who condescended
Took on flesh to ransom us
The God of the universe, in the person of Jesus Christ, humbles himself to become a human and share in the weight of the suffering of mankind. It is an absolute mystery that He would love us so much that He would trade in the perfection of the heavens for the discomfort of a feeding trough. Praise You, God, for the mystery of Your humility!
Come behold the wondrous mystery
He the perfect Son of Man
In His living, in His suffering
Never trace nor stain of sin
See the true and better Adam
Come to save the hell-bound man
Christ the great and sure fulfillment
Of the law; in Him we stand
The God-Man became like us, encountering every kind of temptation and trial that we might. Furthermore, the temptation He would face would be even greater, as He would never fall into sin, but face His trial to its end — perfection. The Christ would live a life for the pursuit of the glory of God in submission to the Father. No sin. No failure. Thank You, Lord, for the mystery of Your perfection!
Come behold the wondrous mystery
Christ the Lord upon the tree
In the stead of ruined sinners
Hangs the Lamb in victory
See the price of our redemption
See the Father’s plan unfold
Bringing many sons to glory
Grace unmeasured, love untold
God becomes man, faces temptation, emerges in perfection — yet takes the punishment for the sin of the whole world. What love is this? Lord, help us not forget the mystery of the cross. Your ways are higher than we could know.
Come behold the wondrous mystery
Slain by death the God of life
But no grave could e’er restrain Him
Praise the Lord; He is alive!
What a foretaste of deliverance
How unwavering our hope
Christ in power resurrected
As we will be when he comes
The greatest mystery of all is this: A dead man, Jesus, lay in His grave and on the third day rose from the dead, victorious over sin, death, and Satan to glorify God and invite mankind back into a right relationship with Him. Praise God, for his mighty work in the resurrection and for how this finished work can pull us from death and into life with Him.
Lord, let us not forget this mystery. Help us to continue on in awe and wonder at the work You have done. Help us to live with joy, that we might share this mystery with a lost world in need of the same saving you have offered us!
Ryan Rives serves as Pastor of Students and Worship Ministries at Plano Bible Chapel in Plano, Texas. His hope is to faithfully serve Christ, reach students and their families with the Gospel, and watch people come to know and follow Jesus by His grace.
Universal peace has never existed at any point in history. And yet, we are struggling to understand and respond to the situation in Ukraine
Transparency is important in any marriage. It goes hand-in-hand with trust. But how much should one divulge before one ties the knot?
A weekly brief of new resources and Scripture-based insights from our editorial team.