I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, caught up to the third heaven, heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Paul had an encounter so profound he can't even describe it. The words are literally unspeakable. Whatever he experienced transcended language. And he's been sitting with it for fourteen years without telling anyone.
I'm a contemplative Christian, and I've had experiences with God that I've tried to describe and failed. I've tried to journal them and ended up frustrated because the words diminish the experience. This verse gives me permission to stop trying. Some experiences with God are meant to be savored internally, not translated to others. Some mysteries are deeper than language can go.
We live in a culture of compulsive sharing. Every experience must be posted, explained, curated. Paul's silence about the third heaven is radical. Not because he doesn't want to share. But because the experience is so profound that language would cheapen it. I'm learning to have some inner life that remains unexplained, unexpressed, held in silence before God. That's becoming more valuable to me than explanation.
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