When you read, “Ask for anything in my name, and you will receive it,” what do you think?

When you hear the word “predestined,” what do you think?

When you read, “Never will I leave you nor for sake you,” what do you think?

Let’s face it. There’s a lot of mystery on every page of the Bible.

Which is why it’s hubris to interpret our Bibles based on our experiences.

We don’t fit our Bibles into our theology; we fit our theology into our Bibles. But what about when it doesn’t fit?

Don’t press your Bible beyond mystery. Leave it at that. It’s a tension, but it’s better than making a grave mistake about what just happened in our experience. Our understanding is so limited.

Biblical Christians interpret their experiences based on their Bibles, while cultural Christians interpret their Bibles based on their experiences.

And when nothing makes sense, God says, “Trust me.”