5 Powerful Prayers for Employment and a New Job

Jesus does not tell us not to judge at all, especially when it comes to using our discernment.

Jesus does not tell us not to judge at all, especially when it comes to using our discernment.

As gospel-believing Christians, we know that God has sovereignly guided the church throughout all its history. Does this mean we’re obligated to believe everything the church has ever believed? If not, what are we to hold on to from the past? This is where retrieval theology enters the picture. Retrieval theology is different from church history or historical theology. Those disciplines seek to understand the past and trace the development of doctrine over time. Retrieval does more than that. Seeing dangers and problems abounding in our present moment, retrieval looks to the past to correct the present. Understanding it will help us grasp why some Protestants may be tempted to convert to Roman Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy. Evangelical practitioners of retrieval often adopt it to clarify the doctrine of the Trinity or refine their biblical hermeneutics. Driven by dissatisfaction with modern approaches to the Trinity and the quest for “the author’s original intention,” they seek to jump over the Enlightenment’s errors and retrieve the insights of the medieval and patristic eras. Unfortunately, in their desire to go back in time to what they think is a better way of doing theology, some evangelicals have abandoned evangelicalism altogether. In seeking to protect the gospel, they come to conclusions antithetical to the biblical gospel. Historical theology is useful. Retrieval theology is also useful. But uncritical retrieval theology is not. Let’s consider two cautions for a proper understanding of retrieval theology. Caution #1. Be Humble and Wise. Old Is Good, Unless It’s Bad. Retrieval theology desires to listen to the past. That’s a sign of humility, one of the key virtues we should all pursue. Someone, somewhere, at some time knew God and the Bible better than I do. Like Athanasius (d. 373), who to qualify to be a deacon of the church in Alexandria—just a deacon!—had memorized the entire Psalter, one major prophet, one Gospel, and all the Pauline epistles. I want to learn from him. But humility must have guardrails. Whom should I follow and imitate? How much? After all, Arius (d. 336) also served the Alexandrian church; presumably, he had as much Scripture memorized as Athanasius did. But I don’t want to follow him, lest I fall into heresy and believe that Jesus is a created being. That’s antibiblical. Just because something is old doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good. When someone tells me in frustration that he wishes his local church could be like the New Testament church, I warn him to be careful which New Testament church he wants to be like. Will it be the licentious church of Corinth or the verging-toward-heresy church of Galatia? Even during the apostles’ lifetimes, things in the churches weren’t going perfectly. Nor should we expect that things have always been wonderful—or that doctrinal expression has been right—in a specific period of the church’s history. Just because something is old doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good. We must have criteria by which to judge what is best from the church’s doctrinal heritage. In other words, how do we know what to retrieve? In our current cultural moment, the theologian du jour is the medieval thinker Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274). The list of modern theologians engaging with—and in some instances, becoming entranced with—Thomas is large and growing, if the internet and social media are any indication. So humbly listen to the past. But be wise in what you adopt from it. Caution #2: Centrality of Justification by Faith Alone When proponents of classical theism elevate Thomas to almost the patron saint of orthodoxy, they unwittingly open the way for much more than Thomas’s doctrine of God to come into the evangelical stream of consciousness. Francis Beckwith notes that for Thomas, justification begins with “the infusion of grace at Baptism” because “the baptized Christian literally partakes in the Divine Nature.” Thomas also advocates praying for the dead, the sacraments as means of obtaining God’s grace, and transubstantiation as essential to the sacrifice of the mass. Humbly listen to the past. But be wise in what you adopt from it. Well-intentioned retrieval theologians may well have opened a floodgate that won’t be shut before many have abandoned Protestantism. The problem is that modern retrieval efforts feel as if they have to take all of Thomas, when early moderns (e.g., John Owen) did not. We have extremely good reasons to remain Reformation Protestants. At its core, Protestantism answers the question “How can I, a wretched sinner, be saved by the holy God?” The heart of Protestantism is about a relationship with a holy, forgiving, relational God. Scripture Alone We must remember that sola scriptura means just that: The Bible alone is the authority for what we are to believe and how we are to live. The Bible must always sit in judgment over the validity of an opinion—even if I like how intriguing, or antimodern, or “meaningful” that idea or practice is. My likes or dislikes, my feelings, must be subordinated to God’s authoritative, inerrant Word. The biblically revealed gospel sits in judgment over any iteration of retrieval theology that would lead people away from Reformation Protestantism.

Let's be honest: waiting is hard. Waiting on anything—a job, a relationship, a breakthrough, healing—can feel like an eternity. And when you're waiting on God's timing, it can feel even harder. You're trusting in something bigger than yourself, something you can't see or control.I've been there. I've spent seasons of my life feeling stuck, wondering when God was going to answer my prayers. And I know I'm not alone. We all face those moments when we feel like we're in a divine waiting room.But here's the truth: waiting doesn't have to be a passive experience. It doesn't have to be a time of frustration and stagnation. In fact, it can be a time of incredible growth, transformation, and even joy. The key is to shift our perspective and learn how to thrive while we wait.So, how do we do it? Here are five ways that have helped me, and I pray they'll encourage you too:1. Embrace the Present MomentIt's so easy to get caught up in thinking about the future, about what we want, and about when God is going to answer our prayers. But when we do that, we miss out on the beauty and the opportunities of the present moment. Philippians 4:11-13 says, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." We must learn contentment and find strength in Christ in every situation.God has you exactly where you are for a reason. He has a purpose for you right now, in this season of waiting. Your job is to bloom where you're planted, to make the most of the opportunities that are right in front of you. Matthew 6:34 says, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." This clearly emphasizes that we must learn to focus on the present day rather than worry about the uncertain future.Even Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens." This confirms that there is a specific time for everything, even waiting.Here’s how you learn to embrace the present moments in your life: Focus on the blessings you have rather than the things you lack. Look for ways to serve others, to use your gifts and talents to make a difference in the world.Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/GaudiLab