Hardy Boys

Okay so this is definitely a throw back...who knows who The Hardy Boys are?

The Hardy Boys, Frank and Joe, are fictional characters who appear in several mystery series for children and teens. In each novel, the Hardy Boys are constantly involved in adventure and action. Despite frequent danger, the boys never lose their nerve...the boys are luckier and more clever than anyone around them. They lived in an atmosphere of mystery and intrigue.

When I read these books as a kid I loved them. There was something about reading a mystery novel that intrigued me more than anything else. (at that point in time of course)

I think it's safe to say that there is something about a mystery that attracts people. We as humans are nosey...some more than others. When we get a hint of information we want to know everything. Quite frankly that is just how people are today.

Mysteries lure you in. A mystery by definition is something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain. We are lured in because what is happening or what has happened is difficult or impossible to understand or explain.

Simply, we want to know what can't be explained to us.

Have you ever felt like a miracle was a mystery to you?

To me, it certainly makes sense. A miracle by definition is a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be a work of a divine agency.

Miracles and mysteries...similar in a way.

With what I have shared with you, try to think about the idea of a mystery/miracle with this scripture. It is the story of the angel and the little scroll.

The Angel and the Little Scroll

Then I saw another might angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down." And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just has he announced to his servants and prophets. Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, "Go, Take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land." So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, "Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey." And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. And I was told, "You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings." 

How is that for a plot in a mystery novel?

An angel came down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. He had set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land. The angel cried out and his voice sounded like that of roaring lions.

Sounds like a pretty cool character in the story. The part that gets me is that the apostle John was beginning to write down everything the angel was saying and was told to seal it up and not write it down. After that, the angel swore that when the trumpet call to the seventh angel happens, the mystery of God would be fulfilled.

There is a mystery right in front of our very own eyes! There are things that the angel said that John couldn't write down. After reading that, all I want to know is what was said. Which unfortunately, I won't find out until the trumpet call.

After all that had happened, the angel spoke to John again and told him to take the scroll to the angel. John gave the scroll to the great angel and the angel told John to eat it. The angel said; "Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey." When John ate it, it was sweet as honey and made his stomach bitter, which was expected. Then the angel said to John; "You must again prophesy about as many peoples and nations and languages and kings."

Crazy crazy crazy cool story right? One of the reasons I think God hasn't returned yet is because there are still so many more people to be saved from all over the world.

This short story ends with the angel telling John that he must keep prophesy to as many people and nations and languages and kings. The way I take it, is that John experienced this amazing moment with the angel coming down. It was so amazing, he literally and figuratively had to eat what he wrote. There are not any words to describe what was said, but we do know the description of the angel and what the angel said. He took this all in and was told that he needs to keep doing what he is doing.

The mystery of this story is like a miracle in our lives. Think about miracles that you have experienced in your life. How do you feel when you experience a miracle? I bet you feel incredibly thankful for what God has done. I know I do for sure! Think long term though, what do you really do when you experience a miracle? Do you get caught up on the mountain top of overwhelming adoration for the miracle and then fall off as soon as something bad happens? Or do you experience that miracle, praise God and be thankful for it, and then you keep on learning and strengthening your relationship with Him and loving others?

Reading this passage I was convicted of that for sure. Whenever I realize that a miracle happens in my life, I feel like I am on a mountain top and then I sometimes quickly forget about. There are a lot of things to learn from miracles.

John experienced a mystery and miracle all in one and the great great angel told him to keep on doing what he does.

I believe that is what God is saying to us. Embrace the miracles...it doesn't stop there. I am pretty sure that if you experience at least one miracle you will experience many more.

Just like how the Hardy Boys kept solving mystery after mystery, keep on learning miracle after miracle.

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I really encourage you to pray about the Holy Spirit being able to give you something powerful you can take away before you open up your Bible. The last few times I have read my Bible there haven't really been many things I have been awestruck by. Before I read today I wrote down in my journal right next to prayer: "Please give me something deep, insightful, and encouraging today." When you struggle to take things away from your Bible reading, say that prayer and I promise you that it will help. It's all about having the right mindset going in.