Devotional : Mysterious Island

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How a Jules Verne story captivated the heart of a five year old and helped him to acknowledge Christ as the complete revelation of the mysteries about God.

One of the best movies that I ever saw as a child was called “Mysterious Island.” It was a marvelous adaptation of a book that Jules Verne, the great French science fiction writer, wrote. Verne wrote it as a conclusion of his story of Captain Nemo and his submarine the “Nautilus.” Most people remember that cantankerous character from “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”

In “Mysterious Island,” Nemo sacrifices himself and his submarine to save a motley crew of survivors, who have been marooned on the island, after crashing a military balloon. The island is full of giant monsters and intriguing mysteries. When I saw it for the first time as a five year old, it captivated me completely. It’s one of the few movies that I watch as a re-run on television. It also helps that the special effects were created by Ray Harryhausen, the greatest “stop and go” clay animator in movie history.

Ephesians 1:9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ.

Most of us find mysteries attractive. Whether it’s the plot in a whodunit play or a sequence of numbers in Sudoku, we just love the element of surprise and the satisfaction of a completed solution. When Paul writes about “mystery” to the Ephesians, he’s expressing it in spiritual terms because “mystery religions” were predominant throughout the Mediterranean. People were constantly anxious about life and fearful about death. These “mystery religions” of the Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, and Persians promised their adherents and devotees secret messages, signs, and rituals that would expedite their journey to heaven after death. As long as they knew the right words, performed the prescribed ceremonies, and spent their resources at the temple, everlasting life was guaranteed.

But then Christ appeared and, as Paul writes, God made known to us these mysteries through Jesus. The old cultic religions and secret rites were no longer effective or required. All that was necessary for everlasting life was to believe in Jesus. He would guarantee the Way to heaven, the truth about God, and show people the path to eternal life. There was no need to be anxious anymore; there was no need for any other religious beliefs.

Today, we live in anxious times that try the souls of people everywhere. Paul’s message is as relevant now as it ever has been. The mysteries of God are fully made known to us through Jesus Christ. When we accept Him and reject the world, we are given a true and everlasting hope that we can cling to, throughout this life, and into the next.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we have many questions and anxieties, worries and concerns. We experience problems and wrestle with suffering. At times, we can be overwhelmed by fear and perplexed by life itself. During those moments of doubts and worry, grant us faith and assurance. Let us know that our dependence upon You will become our path to eternal life and everlasting love. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Babylon

Job 38:19 "What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? (NIV)

When I read this verse this morning, it reminded me of the beginning of an old nursery rhyme that always puzzled me. Perhaps you remember it as well:

"How many miles to Babylon? Three score miles and ten.Can you get there by candle light?Yes, and back again.If your feet are nimble and light,You can get there by candle light."

I can remember reading this from a colorful book when I was about five years old. I can still see the picture in my mind of children in nightshirts carrying lit candles, walking across the hills under a starry night sky. It was an eerie picture because all of the children looked as though they were sleep walking. As I read the words out loud, it sounded more like an incantation or a spell. The whole rhyme was mysterious and I could never work out its meaning.

Sometimes the Bible is enigmatic, too. The thirty eighth chapter of Job expresses an ancient understanding of nature. God has storehouses of snow and hail; light and lightning have their own secret place. Nowadays, we think these ideas as quaint and old-fashioned, non-scientific and out dated, but to Job and his peers these things expressed the mysterious and magical qualities of God’s power.

Our world has grown up a lot since the days of Job, and even since the days of my childhood. In this age of instantaneous information which overloads and overwhelms us, we’ve lost some of that element of mystery which keeps God sacred in our hearts and, strangely enough, brings peace to our souls. Perhaps it's time that we reclaimed the ancient mysteries of God by rediscovering awe and reverence. Job’s descriptions may be unscientific, but there is something timeless and changeless, winsome and wonderful in them which pleases our souls. And in this complicated, computerized, and commercialized world, isn’t it reassuring to know that there are some things which only God can explain?

Prayer: Almighty God, Your ways are mysterious and beyond our imagining at times. In midst of our busy, noisy world, help us to reclaim the stillness and quietness of resting in Your Holy presence. Grant us the gift of awe and reverence; bless us with the surprising joy of sacred sanctuary. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.