Think Theologically

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what
God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that
cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what
the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s
own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good
of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
(Romans 8:26–28)

When we think theologically, we find comfort in four things.

First, we wait and persevere. “But if we hope for what we do not see, through perseverance we wait eagerly for it” (Romans 8:25 NASB). Let that truth sink in. Read the verse once again. When we don’t see what we had hoped to see, think theologically! Don’t run. Don’t panic. Don’t doubt God’s love. Don’t fight. Wait and persevere.

When you get the results of your physical exam from the doctor, you wait, you persevere through it. You may get sick to your stomach, you may feel your head spin when the negative report comes, but you still wait. You persevere. Mentally, you connect with your Lord and express your willingness to trust Him entirely.

Second, we face the test head-on but on our knees. Oh, how we groan at times like this. Our soul is so troubled that we have no words to express our anguish. We fall to our knees, and, reading our inability to say what we’re feeling, the Holy Spirit interprets our wordless mumblings and verbal stumbling as He intercedes for us. To wait and persevere takes faith. Confident faith. To face the test head-on but on our knees takes humility. Submissive humility.

Third, we rest in our sovereign God and His plan. Sometimes I say out loud to myself, “This is for my good and for God’s glory, even though I cannot begin to explain it.” I am learning that if you think theologically, you won’t put a border around “all things.” You’ll let it be “all things.” Your loss, your gain. Your prosperity, your bankruptcy. The accident, the fall, the loss, the disease, the disappointment. And yes, the relief, the success, the healing, the cure, the promotion. “All things work together for good . . . regardless. So we rest in our sovereign God. We rest in His plan, in what He considers best for us.

Fourth, we remember we’re being conformed to the image of Christ. Waiting and persevering takes faith. Confident faith. Facing the test head-on but on our knees takes humility. Submissive humility. Resting in our sovereign God and His plan takes flexibility. Unguarded flexibility. And being conformed to the image of Christ takes sensitivity. Willing sensitivity.

Together let’s learn to think biblically—theologically.