Note to Self

I have been enjoying the book “Note to Self” by pastor and blogger Joe Thorn. It is about “the discipline of preaching to yourself.” I want to share with you from chapter 9 “God Does Not Answer To You.”

Theology is a way to know and respond to God. It is something you tether to God, not something you tether God to. This is important to keep in mind when you are working out theology in your present circumstances. Even when God has clearly revealed himself, and you feel as though you have the answers to some of the big questions of life, it does not mean that your experience will always mirror what you think are the logical outworkings of those doctrines.

You know that God is sovereign and good, and that should be enough to comfort and direct you. It should calm and quiet you. It should stop your complaining and start your worship even in the midst of the most painful experiences of life. But you cannot live in that sweet spot of theology if you are using theology to tie God down in his operations.

The problem will not be with God being “consistent” but with the outworking of your own theology and what you expect from God in the most practical ways. Do not attempt to base your interpretation of God on our circumstances, but see your circumstances in light of who God has revealed himself to be. Seasons of affliction and unanswered prayer do not mean that God likes to hurt you or leave you in the dark. In fact, you know the opposite is true; God works for your holiness and happiness in his Son through affliction; and even in the darkest times of life when he seems silent, he is with you to guide and protect you.

What this means for you is to remember that God does not answer to you or your theology. You answer to him and can rest on what he has revealed of himself in his Word.