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Experience
Posted: Sunday, October 23, 2011 by Morgan inSo I was in church this morning listening to a sermon on Malachi 2 and 3. At this time, the Israelites had just come fresh out of Babylonian captivity a generation or two before and had just finished rebuilding the temple. Even after all this stuff that God did for them, the Israelites were questioning God's goodness, love, faithfulness, and trustworthiness. Why would they question the God who saved them out of captivity not just once, but twice: once in Babylon in the recent past and once in Egypt many generations ago? Why would they question the God who was faithful to give them an entire country that He promised to give to their forefathers? Why would they question a God who overthrew their enemies over and over again even though the Israelites were vastly outnumbered and fighting against superior weapons and armies?
That doesn't make sense.
Unless...
...the Israelites were basing their theology on their present experiences rather than on God's truth and His perfect track record.
But that's stupid too, right? Well, yes. Until it's you who is basing your theology on your present experiences rather than God's truth and the things He has worked out in your life in the past. I've been there, and it's a hard place to be. It's also difficult since there seems to be a focus on experiential spirituality at George Fox. People do experience things that are in line with God's word, that are in line with truth. It becomes concerning when those things aren't happening to you.
What is the difference between experience and truth? What do you hold on to if what's happening do you right now doesn't match up with the truth that you know?
Part of the answer to my original question is a fundamental difference between the nature of God and man.
People change, God doesn't.
We make promises, and even if we do actually intend to keep them, we often forget about them or the keeping of these promises is outside our control. Our character is in a constant state of development. We are constantly being sanctified. Some days are better than others in the areas of patience, anger, lust, encouragement, stewardship, and the like.
God makes promises and He keeps them. Always. God's character and attributes are, have always been, and always will be absolutely perfect.
Another part of the answer lies in the way you answer a couple other questions.
1. Do you trust Him?
My mom asks me this question ALL THE TIME. And almost every time she asks me the answer is no. It's no even if I say it's yes. If the answer was yes, verses like Romans 8:28 would incredibly helpful and reassuring. It's a verse that gets thrown around out of context quite a lot, but when you fit it into the rest of Romans 8, it's one of those truths that is incredibly powerful if you believe it. We just can't see the whole picture sometimes. But that's why faith is so important.
2. How powerful is God?
If you believe in a God who can't work out good through evil or produce growth out of suffering, how will you ever be satisfied with life? Shit happens, but none of it surprises God. My mom often tells me that God is too loving to waste pain. He does whatever He wants, and fortunately for us, what He wants is the best possible reality. We just can't see the whole picture. But that's why faith is so important.
That last part is hard to swallow because we live in the physical realm, not the spiritual. God doesn't care so much about our happiness or our physical comfort as he does about our souls. He cares about that part of us so much that He made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that our souls could exist in the best possible reality. I don't mean to devalue the physical aspect of our existence because I believe they are important; I just want to emphasize the other part. Neither our earthly bodies nor our earthly stuff are going with us after we die, but our souls are. We will live in a new heaven and a new earth with new bodies to experience it all.
So bring it back.
I think the ultimate answer to my question is to wait.
The imperative to wait shows up all over in the Bible. Noah waited for the rain to come, Abraham waited for his son Isaac to be born, Jacob waited 14 years to marry Rachel, Moses waited for 40 years in the desert, David waited to become king of Israel, the Israelites waited for the coming of Jesus, the disciples waited for 3 days after Jesus was crucified, Paul waited in prison, and we wait for Christ's second coming.
There is a sermon by Alistair Begg that takes a very in-depth look at the concept of waiting in faith, specifically as it applies to Abraham.
Wait, and sooner or later your experience will match up with truth. You will look back on the times that the two seemed to be very mismatched and see that it was just a step along the road. You will see that God's planning and timing are perfect, and that He never changes. Not one bit.
"But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer." Psalm 38:15
In the words of Dr. Jackson: "Shit happens, glory be to God."
- Chrispy