Step 1, Article 1
Wednesday, 11 May, 2005
Today John lectured us on the infinite power of God.
The infinite power of God means that it's no delusion to find that God cares for each of us in our individual circumstances. Since his power is infinite, it is no difficulty to watch over or care for every single person in the world. So when we pray, we pray to the God who is of infinite power. It's not only because he is of infinite power that we are confident that he hears our prayers, but our confidence includes our confidence that he is of infinite power. Otherwise what confidence do we have that he hears our prayers amongst the many prayers that are prayed and, more than that, how can we have confidence that he is able to do what we ask? But he is of infinite power and there is nothing he cannot do. Our confidence in prayer is dependent on that reality.
How good is theology when you are depressed.
Blinks:
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Place where you can hire play equipment for parties, etc.
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Unsolicited manuscripts accepted by Pan Macmillan with certain conditions.
Thought Balloon is a group blog in which the writers tackle a new theme every week? month? with one-page scripts. This URL is for their Phonogram ones.
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Issues organised by tale.
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I remember the first time I realised this after I became a Christian. I was at my first MYC and I saw hundreds of students all praying different things to the same God! How amazing that he hears and understands and cares for each one of us!
I guess I read your statement (“How good is theology when you’re depressed”) as a question. It made me think of all the times I’ve seen Christians resort to theology rather than encouragement. This reminds me that the Snake was the first theologian (“Did God really say…” “Will you really die…”). God, on the other hand, was the first storyteller.
And his story is that he loves you desperately, beyond all reason, and will do anything to be with you, because he delights in you. The story, to me, is more uplifting to me than theology, which is the science of parsing and understanding the story, but which at best can only be man’s finite tool for understanding the words and work of the great Storyteller, the lover of our souls.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 is always a good encouragement. Also Hebrews 4 (the last bit) and Romans 8. I know you know these verses though. But they are totally sweet.
Stu
Tony: it was a rhetorical question. I fear you underestimate theology somewhat. I spend my week studying it and find it just as uplifting as the story—sometimes even more so because it brings together pieces of the story that I would have otherwise glossed over: namely, the wonderful character of God. Theology builds for me a picture of who God is from the story.