God in the Whirlwind

God in the Whirlwhind: How the Holy-Love of God Reorients our World by David F. Wells

Picking up the mantle where he left off with No Place for Truth and God in the Wasteland, theologian David F. Wells, in his new book entitled God in the Whirlwind, seeks to reorient our lives around biblical truth and God’s character.  Wells believes the number one cultural challenge that we face is that our understanding of the character of God starts on the wrong footing if we start anywhere other than the truth of God’s Word.  Having the right starting place is key to asking the right questions and providing a good foundation for which to believe from.  It is also the holy love of God that compels us to live our lives solidly before the face of God.

David opens our eyes in the early part of the book to see the challenge that we face regarding God’s word, his attributes and seeing him rightly.  He states that, “The answer is that our experience of our culture may have affected how we see things. Given the intense exposure we have to our modernized world, we need to be alert to the way it can shape our perspective and understanding (20).”  Cultural lenses have often replaced biblical lenses for a distorted view of reality and of God.  The two major questions that we face in the modern world, Wells contends, is that, “First, does God ever intervene in life? Second, does God ever make moral judgments about what we do and say (22)?”  In other words, it’s not enough to say that we believe in God, that he exists over us, but rather what kind of God do you believe in, a God who is pleased to engage the world in action or one who is complacent, aloof, and uncaring.  Secondly, does God care enough for his creatures that he is willing to make moral judgments about our actions for the purposes of bringing about human flourishing.  These two questions are at the heart of helping people to come back to a biblical view of God.

David also helps his readers see that the triune God is at every part of their lives investing in their struggles.  He writes, “The triune God accompanies his struggling people. As we walk through life, the Son intercedes for us by pleading the merits of his work. The Spirit intercedes for us by presenting those prayers that are in accordance with the Father’s will to the Father. Throughout the New Testament, in fact, we see this close correlation between Son and Spirit as together they work to bring God’s people to their appointed end in glory (73).”  If we see the appointed glory as the end in mine, then we will not lose sight of the triune God at work in our lives, through the Son’s intercession, the Spirit’s work in prayer and the Father’s will throughout all our lives.  This should bring joy to every believer because not only is there no condemnation here for the believer, but there is fullness of life and hope.

There was a strong sense of God’s joy and his purposes in loving his children in this book by David Wells.  I hope many believers pick it up and be refreshed as I was in reading God in the Whirlwind.

Thanks to Crossway for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.