God Is Not Theology

Have you ever prayed a prayer consistently, fervently with faith that God would want that same thing - only for it go to wrong, or unanswered? Maybe you scoured the Bible for explicit statements on the topic, promises of God or words that seemed to apply directly to the situation - and felt certain God would answer your prayer. Maybe you prayed with such expectancy and leaned wholeheartedly on God for the outcome. Then why would he say no?

It's a tough question and when you've been through that, all answers are trite and non-comforting. It's also a complex question that's worth asking and wrestling with.

I think we think of God as a theology. I'll explain. Theology is the study of God. For Christians we lift from the Bible attributes that make up God's character and draw a composite sketch of who he is and how he works in the world. A great reason for studying theology is to get to know the God we love so we know how to please him and love him back. We align our will with his.

Things go haywire, though, when we think we have God figured out or when our studying theology serves the purpose of getting what we want. God is a person, not a theology.

Yes, God's word is alive and a revelation of who he is. Yes, he delights in hearing and answering our prayers - whether or not we completely understand him. He is good and he gives good gifts. But he really wants to know and be known. So sometimes when we say: "OK God, I've finished my box; go ahead, jump in," he puts it over our head. It's in this darkness that we begin to ask the right questions. We transition from "why didn't I get what I wanted" to "where are you God," "who are you," "do I really even know you?"

My point is simply this: we do not use God's words to bend the world to our will, we use them to bend our will to his. Christ form yourself in me; forgive me for being demanding; turn on the lights when you're ready.