Why did God not answer my prayer?

 Last week we started a series called “Ever wonder why?” and asked the very difficult question that people have been asking for centuries, why did God let it happen.  Today we are going to consider another difficult question that people have wrestled with for centuries, why didn’t God answer my prayer?  

Prayer can be very confusing at times because while we believe in its prayer and see all kinds of prayers answered in the Bible, we often question why God doesn’t answer our prayers.  

In the book of Joshua, when the people of God were in battle, Joshua prayed for the sun to stand still, and it did.  

The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!  Joshua 10:13-14

God answered that prayer, but when we pray for flood waters to recede to ease the suffering of people, or storms to weaken so they don’t devastate communities, it doesn’t happen.  God didn’t answer those prayer.

We read about Elijah asking God to send down fire from heaven to show His power and glory, and God does, but when we pray for God to show His power and glory by healing someone with cancer, it doesn’t happen.  Why does God answer one person’s prayer and not others?  

In the story of Daniel, Daniel prayed for the mouths of the lions to be shut, and they were, but when we pray for a door to open for employment, it doesn’t come.  All of this can cause us to question why God didn’t answer our prayers.  Did God not hear us?  Did we pray the wrong way?  Does God not love or care about us?

Like last week, let me be clear at the beginning and tell you that I am not going to be able to give you a clear answer about why God may not have answered your prayer.  

What I can do, and want to do, is share some thoughts on prayer that can help guide us when we ask the question why and some teaching about prayer that can help our prayers be more effective.  If you hear nothing else today, I hope you will hear this:

The purpose of prayer is not to get God to do our will.

The purpose of prayer is to know God so we can do His will. 

 Believe it or not, God does not exist to answer our prayers.  We are not the main character in the story - God is.  While God created us in love and loves us unconditionally, God does not exist to do our will and fulfill all our desires, we exist to honor and glorify God.  So, prayer isn’t about getting what we want or telling God what He needs to do in our lives and in the world, prayer is about surrendering to God so we can learn more about what He wants and how we can serve, honor and glorify Him.  

While the purpose of prayer is about growing in our relationship with God and surrendering ourselves to God’s will, Jesus does say that whatever we ask for in God’s name, we will receive.  

I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.  John 14:13-14

This seems to say that God will answer all our prayers. Ask for anything in my name and you will receive it.  Jesus makes prayer sound like we have a genie in a bottle who will grant all our wishes, but this isn’t all Jesus said about prayer or all that the Bible says about prayer.  The Bible says many things about prayer, and we need to take them all into consideration when we ask why God didn’t answer our prayers.  God’s willingness to answer our prayer doesn’t just depend on our asking, it depends on many things.  

We are going to look at 4 things that lead to effective prayer and the first one comes from Jesus.

Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.  Mark 11:24-25

1. Effective prayer needs healthy relationships with God and others.  Jesus said that how we treat others, our relationships with others, will impact how God hears and responds to our prayer.  If you stop and think about it, this makes sense.  If your kids are yelling and fighting with each other all day, how likely are you going to be to let them have friends over for the night?  How likely are you going to be to give them anything they want?  As parents, how your children treat each other, and how they treat you, impacts how you respond to them.  

If we are being unkind toward one another, if we are putting others down, if being negative and critical of others at home and at work, if we aren’t lifting others up as the Bible tells us to but tearing each other down, and if we aren’t willing to forgive as God has forgiven us, why would God look graciously at our prayers?  We may not like hearing this, but how we treat one another has a direct impact on how God hears and responds to our prayers.  It’s not the ONLY thing God takes into consideration, but it is one thing, and it is one thing we can control.  

If you don’t think there is a direct link between our relationships with one another and our prayer life, then consider this verse.  It is written to husbands, but I would say it is true for husbands and wives, children and parents, siblings, friends, and neighbors.  

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives and treat them with respect… so that nothing will hinder your prayers. 1 Peter 3:7

How we treat one another impacts our prayers.  If God doesn’t seem to answer our prayers, maybe our relationships are broken, and we need to start treating one another with respect and grace.  

2. Effective prayer needs the right motives.  Not only does effective prayer need right relationships, it needs right motives. 

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.  James 4:3

If we ask God to bless us financially so we can spend more money on ourselves, why would God answer that?  If we aren’t willing to tithe, or give or be generous towards with what God has already given us, why would God answer our prayers for more?  If we ask God for gifts and abilities but all we want is to use them for recognition and fame, why would God answer our prayer?  If our motive in prayer isn't to give glory to God and serve God and others, why would God answer our prayer?  

We always need to check our motives because even if we think our hearts are good and right and pure, they may not be. Jeremiah said, The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Jeremiah 17:9

It’s important for us to examine our motives when we pray because we can be easily deceived.  More than once God has pointed out that my motives may not have been as right as I thought they were.  Motives matter.  Relationships matter.  And faith matters.  

3. Effect prayer needs faith.   When we pray, do we believe that God can do what we are asking Him to do?  Do we have faith, even the size of a mustard seed, when we ask God for help?  Faith matters.  Jesus linked people’s faith to His ability to answer prayers.  Jesus said, if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.  Matthew 21:22

A few weeks ago, we heard the story of the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years.  She went to Jesus and believed that if she could touch the hem of His garment that she would be healed.  She reached out in faith.  We might say she prayed in faith and Jesus said, daughter, your faith has made you well.  

Another time Jesus was approached by two blind men who cried out to Him for healing.  Jesus asked,  "Do you believe that I am able to do this?”  “Yes, Lord,” they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; and their sight was restored.  Matthew 9:28-30

Their faith had a direct effect on Jesus’ ability to answer their prayer.  Now let me be clear and say that faith is not the ONLY thing that God takes into consideration when He answers our prayers.  If God doesn’t answer our prayer, it is not always due to a lack of faith, but we do need to have faith when we pray.  And if our faith is weak, we need to ask God to strengthen it.

A man came to Jesus asking him to heal his son from a spirit that threw him on the ground and into fires, but his faith was weak.  

Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”  Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”  Mark 9:22-24

I love Jesus' response to the father, If I can?  You're asking me to do something but aren’t sure that I can do it?  All things are possible if you believe.  The father is passionate about wanting his son healed, but he is also honest, I do believe but help my unbelief.  

I don’t know about you, but this is often where I find myself in prayer.  I believe God can answer prayers and move in miraculous ways, and I believe God wants to do these powerful things, but there are doubts that creep up in the shadows.  So, I cry to God, I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief.  God, wipe away the darkness of doubt that too often creeps into my faith because I know that my faith matters when I pray.  I believe, help my unbelief.  

Relationships matter.  Motives matter. And faith matters if our prayers are going to be effective, but even when all these are spot on, when all our relationships with God and others are as good as we can make them, and our motives are pure and humble, and our faith is strong and powerful, there are still times God may not answer our prayers the way we want Him too.  One final thing needed for effective prayer is for us to surrender to the will of God.

4. Effective prayer needs to yield to God’s will.  

This takes us back to the beginning when I said that we aren’t the main characters of the story and God isn’t here to do all that we want Him to do.  We pray to know God and to obey His will.  Sometimes we pray so that our hearts can surrender to God’s purpose and plan.  As much as we might think we know what God’s will is, we might not know it fully.  As much as we think we know what is right, what we think is right might not be what is best in the short term or the long term.  

And no matter what we think is right for us and best for us, God might have a different plan.  Notice I didn’t say a better plan, God’s plan is not always better in our eyes, it just might be different.  A great example of this is seen in the life of the Apostle Paul.

Paul was the major leader of the Jesus movement after Jesus ascended into heaven.  He helped spread the gospel of Jesus across the Roman Empire and his wisdom and faith accounts for much of the teaching we find in the New Testament.  He was a man of faith and passion who always tried to align himself with God’s will.  We might think that God always answered Paul’s prayers, but He didn’t.  Paul prayed diligently for something that God did not provide

I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  2 Corinthians 12:7-9

We don’t know what this thorn in the flesh was. Some think it was a person who always seemed to work against Paul.  Others thought it may have been a physical ailment that held him back.  We do know Paul suffered from some type of eye problem so it could have been that Paul prayed for this healing, but it never came.  What God told Paul was that He had a different plan for him.  

Instead of bringing Paul healing and removing the thorn, God was going to teach Paul how to lean on His grace and strength.  Clearly, for Paul, a better plan would have been to be healed, but God’s plan was different.  Our prayers always have to yield to God’s will and God’s will is not always our will  

Now you might be asking, if God is going to do whatever He wants to do anyway, why should I pray?  If God is going to follow His plan regardless of how healthy our relationships are, how pure our motives are, and how strong our faith is, why should we pray?  It’s a valid question and it takes us back to the purpose of prayer.  

We pray not to just get what we want; we pray to know God more.  We pray to align our hearts with God’s heart.  We pray so that our will surrender to God’s will.  

The purpose of prayer is not to get God to do our will.

The purpose of prayer is to know God so we can do His will. 

Next Steps

Why doesn’t God answer my prayer?

When have you struggled because God didn’t answer your prayer the way you thought God should?  (Some of these situations can be deeply painful.  Ask God for light to understand and grace to ease the pain.)

Jesus said, I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.  John 14:13-14

Does this mean we will get everything we ask for in prayer? 

What other teachings on prayer help you understand what Jesus is saying?  

4 teachings on what makes prayer effective.

1. Effective prayer needs healthy relationships with God and others.  Mark 11:24-25.  

● Why does God care about our relationships?

● What relationships do you need to work on before you go to God in prayer?  

● How can prayer help strengthen your relationship with God?  

2. Effective prayer needs the right motives.  James 4:3 and Jeremiah 17:9.  

● When have your motives not always been right when you prayed?  

● What motives need to be set right before you prayers?  

3. Effective prayer needs faith.  Matthew 22:21, Matthew 9:28-30, and Mark 9:22-24

● When have you prayed for a stronger faith?

● How can you strengthen your faith so that you fully believe in what you are asking for in prayer?  

4. Effective prayer needs to yield to God’s will.  2 Corinthians 12:7-9

● How does Jesus show us this during His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane?  Matthew 26:36-46

Keep the purpose of prayer always before you.

The purpose of prayer is not to get God to do our will.

The purpose of prayer is to know God so we can do His will. 

Why Did God Let It Happen?

 

As you know, we open our worship with the response:

God is good…  and all the time….

Have you ever wondered if this is true?  When things aren’t going well and things in your life seem unfair or unjust, do you still believe that God is good?  When you see good and innocent people suffer through the devastation of storms or the destruction of war, do you still think that God is good all the time?  If you are experiencing financial setbacks, job loss, or the fear of losing your marriage and family even though you are working hard in all these areas and striving to be faithful, can you still say God is good?  If you have ever questioned the goodness of God, then I pray this message, and this new series will speak to you.

We are starting a series called Ever Wonder Why?, and today we are going to reflect on one of the most difficult questions we all ask at times.  Why did God let it happen?  Why did God let the rains of Hurricane Helene wipe out whole communities in Western NC?  Why does God allow ongoing war in a land that is so important to Him?  Why does God allow those we love to battle cancer?  Why do children suffer abuse and abandonment?  Why does God still allow hunger and starvation?  Why?  

This is not a new question.  300 years before Jesus, the Greek philosopher Epicurius asked similar questions, and these were some of his observations:

If God is not able to prevent evil, then God is not all powerful.

If God is not willing to prevent evil, then God is not all good. 

If God is both willing and able to prevent evil, then why does evil exist?  

Epicurius asked the same question we do.  If we believe God is all powerful and always good, then why does evil exist and why do bad things happen to people.  The presence of evil does not mean there is no God or that God is not good and powerful, we know this because the story of God, the Biblical narrative, is full of evil and suffering.  

In the Old Testament, King David, who was known as a man after God’s own heart, asked God where He was in the presence of the injustice and suffering he was facing.  The prophet Jeremiah cried out to God when evil was all around him, and in the New Testament, John the Baptist, whose mission and purpose was to point people to Jesus, was unjustly arrested and then beheaded.  John was in prison with Jesus not far away and Jesus knew the bad situation John was in.   I have to imagine that John asked God why He was allowing this to happen?  Where are you God?  Where are you Jesus?  Why are you letting this happen?

Another person in the Old Testament who asked this question was a man named Asaph.  Asaph was a poet and prophet who led the choir in the Tabernacle.  There are 12 psalms that we believe he wrote, and this is from one of them.  Psalm 73:11-14

What does God know? they ask. Does the Most High even know what’s happening?  Look at these wicked people—enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply. Did I keep my heart pure for nothing?  Did I keep myself innocent for no reason? I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain.

Does God know what’s happening?  Does God know that evil people are prospering?  Does He know that good people are suffering?  And if He does, why does He allow it?  Why is evil getting the upper hand?  Why is there so much injustice and suffering if God is so good and loving?

As we wrestle with this issue, let be clear, I am not going to have a good or precise answer to this ancient and ongoing question.  What I hope to provide are some reflections and thoughts that can carry us through our questions and pain to a place of hope and faith.  

So again, the question we ask is:

If God is love, why is there suffering and pain and evil?  

One way to answer this is to say that there is suffering and pain because God is love.  It’s not that God chooses to have some suffer, but if love is a choice then suffering is a possibility.  Since God gives each of us the choice to love Him and others in response to His love, when we choose not to love, it opens the door for pain and suffering.  When we choose hate or indifference over love, when we choose to do what is wrong over what is right, we bring suffering into the world.  

It’s not that all suffering and pain in the world is caused by our choice, but some of it is. God knew this was a possibility when he gave us the freedom to choose love or hate, goodness or evil.  In theological circles this choice we have been given is called freewill.  God gives us the freedom to choose how we will respond to His love.  The reason God gives us this freedom is that didn’t God didn’t want robots adoring Him, He wanted a relationship with His children.  God loves us enough to give us the freedom to respond to His love- or not, and God did this knowing that at times we might choose not to love Him.  Choosing to not love God is called sin and sin is what opens the door for pain and suffering in our lives and in the lives of others.  

God loves us enough to give us freewill knowing that the consequence could bring pain and suffering into the world, but He also gave us this freedom knowing that the only truly good and innocent person who would ever live, His son Jesus, would suffer and die because of it.  While we often ask why bad things happen to good people, the only truly good and innocent person to ever live was Jesus, and Jesus chose to take on all the bad that the world had to offer so we could be counted as good.  Jesus took on our sin, our failure to love God and others, our evil and unfaithful choices, and paid the price for it all.  

Because God is love, He gave us the choice to love Him or not.  God knew that at times we would choose not to love and that our choices would bring evil and suffering into the world and because of that, God knew someone would have to come to set things right.  The only one who could do that was going to be God Himself, so God gave up the glory of heaven to come to earth as a man.  Here on earth, Jesus was rejected by his family and community, He was falsely accused by His own leaders and people, He was arrested, abandoned, imprisoned, flogged, and finally hung on a cross to die.  The only good person to ever live took on all the suffering and pain of the world and cried out with the very question we wrestle with today.  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  

Jesus was asking God, Where are you?  Why are you allowing this to happen?  God watched all this happen, we might say he allowed it, because He knew it wasn’t the end of the story.  The cross was not the end of the story.  A resurrection was coming.  New life was coming.  Healing and wholeness was coming.  While Jesus felt forsaken, and in a moment when the sin of the world was laid on Him, God did turn away, it was not the end of the story.  God had not forsaken Jesus, in the end God raised Him to a new life.  

Let me be clear and say that God doesn’t allow suffering to happen so something better can come, but I will say that in moments of suffering, good things can still happen because God is at work and God is love.  Too many people want to look at pain and suffering and say there is no God or that God isn’t loving.  I want to say that in those moments of suffering, God is still with us and God still loves us and God is working for something good.  

The resounding message of the Bible is that God loves us and God is with us - always.  In the presence of evil and suffering we see in the Bible; we see that God is right there.  Isaiah 43:2 says

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

God’s love is so powerful that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. 

Suffering and pain is never the end of the story.  During the darkness of Friday, with Jesus on a cross, God could see the light of Sunday and Jesus walking out of a tomb.  God knew something better was coming.  No matter what suffering we face, we can be assured that something better is coming, here in this life or in the life to come.  The Bible says:

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.  All these things are gone forever.  Revelation 21:4

In every situation of suffering and pain, we need to be reminded that God’s love is still with us and that God is working for something better.  Even in the midst of the destruction and devastation we see in NC and TN, good things are happening.  

It’s been difficult to watch all the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.  I heard someone say that in most floods the waters rise and then fall and everyone is left mucking out and cleaning up.  This flood rose and swept everything away.  Homes, churches, schools, businesses, hospitals and even cemeteries were completely wiped away.  There is nothing to muck out, nothing to clean up, nothing to restore.  Entire towns have to rebuild or people need to move to new areas.  Why did God let this happen?  

I don’t have a good answer, but here is what I do know.  God is still with these communities and something good is taking place.  During an election when we are so polarized and divided, it is great to see people coming together to help one another, to support and care for one another, and to love one another.  Our political differences don’t seem very important in the face of suffering.  Maybe something good can come out of suffering and pain.  God didn’t cause this destruction to bring about something good, but God can bring something good from it.

While God can bring something good out of suffering and redeem all bad situations, for many of us, we aren’t there yet.  We still see evil in this world and experience loss and hurt and pain.  

While we might not have a good and clear answer for why these things are happening, we can say with confidence is that:

God is still with us. God is with us and He gives us the strength to keep going

God still loves us.  God loves us  and He always will

God is still strong.  In fact, God is strong enough to bring something good out of the pain.  The Bible says, 

God works for the good in all things through Christ Jesus.  Romans 8:28  

Because God is with us and still loves us and is still strong, God is able to bring good into all situations, even situations of suffering and pain. So let’s go back to Asaph who asked God why there was so much pain and why evil seemed to be prospering while the faithful were suffering.  While he didn’t come up with any good answers himself, this is what he said.  Psalm 73:16-17, 23-26

I still belong to you; you hold my right hand.  You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you?  I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.  

When we come to God, the problem of evil and suffering don’t disappear, but we still have hope.  So if you are hurting now, if you are living in the “not there yet” of pain and suffering, and if you are wondering where God is to wipe away the tears, know this - God is still with you and something better is coming.  God is still with and He will stay with you.  God still loves you and He always will love you, and because of God’s love and presence and power, even in the midst of suffering and pain He is working for your good.  

That’s why we can still say… 

God is good…. And all the time… 

Next Steps

Why did God let it happen?

What situations of suffering, injustice, and pain cause you to ask, Why did God let it happen?  

How have you wrestled with these questions in the past?  

Some might argue that injustice, suffering, and pain is a sign that God is not present or that God is not love.  

● How does God’s love actually open the door to the possibility of suffering and pain?  

● Why would God choose to love us if this were a possibility?  

● How do our choices to love God, or not to love God, lead to suffering and pain?  

Jesus was the only truly good and innocent person to ever live and bad things happened to him.  

List some of these bad things.

Why did God allow these bad things to happen to Jesus?  

How did these bad things lead to a better future for Jesus and for us?  

How can the injustice, suffering, and pain of Jesus give us hope when we see or experience injustice, suffering and pain today?  

If God can work for the good in all situations (Romans 8:28) how can we look at bad situations and start working for good.

Where can you start working for good and a better future in situations of injustice, suffering or pain you see today?  

How can the storms and floods of Hurricane Helene lead to a better future for us, our church, and our world?  

How can you give right now to create this better future?

(A Hurricane Relief offering is being held this month.)

If you are hurting and wondering where God is in your life, lean on God’s promises and find support among God’s people.  

● Pray.  

● Read God’s word.  

● Join a small group.  

For help with any of these things, contact one of our pastors or reach out to the church office.    

God Is Unchanging

 

30 years ago, when I started as a pastor at 2nd Ave. Church in Altoona, I upgraded the old computer in the church office.  I worked with the administrative assistant and taught her how to use a mouse and work in windows and I set up all the programs we used in the church.  Today, I need someone to tell me what kind of computer to buy and how to use it.  Computer technology has changed so much that I am lucky if I can turn one on and use it. 

15 years ago, I could run a wedding or a funeral here at the church on my own.  I couldn’t play the organ or provide music, but I could turn on the lights and run the sound by myself.  Today, I only know how to turn on the lights because Justin programmed it so I only have to hit one button to turn the lights on and one button to turn them off.  Don’t ask me to make any changes to the lights because the light board is beyond my comprehension.  And I have no idea how to turn on the sound board and get one of the mics to work, I only know how to turn my mic on and off, most of the time.  

Technology is increasing at a rate we have never seen before and the speed of change is only going to get faster.  As Artificial Intelligence is integrated into more things, there will be even more change.  I don’t know about you, but all this change makes me unsettled, anxious and at times really frustrated.  My Dad used to get so mad when his iphone would update and then he didn’t know where all his contacts were or how to check the weather.  Now I am the one who gets mad when my phone updates and I can’t figure out how to use it.  

But it’s not just the changes in technology that can be unsettling, it’s change in general.  I was frustrated 30 years ago when my hair started to turn gray.  At the time I said, well at least I still have it.  Now, if I’m out in the sun too long, there is a little spot on the top of my head that gets sunburned because I don’t have much hair there anymore.  I can’t see it most of the time, but when I see a video of me from behind and I see that spot - I get frustrated and a little sad.  Justin - no more video from behind.  

Our bodies change and while those changes are great when we are young, once we hit a certain age, those changes are frustrating.  When you can’t drink coffee after 12 Noon because it will keep you up at night, or eat spicy food after 6 pm because of acid reflux, it’s not fun.  And men, let’s face it, we know we are getting old when we are up not once or twice during the night to go to the bathroom, but three and four times.  Change is not easy.  

Right now political change is unsettling as we face an election.  Social change keeps us from knowing what to say so that we don’t offend anyone, and financial changes can happen so fast that one day we feel rich and the next day we are anxious about our financial future.  Everything changes and change is happening faster than ever before.  Since we have been here this morning, my guess is that fashion has already changed and bellbottoms and leisure suits are making a comeback.    

While we can laugh at some of these things - the truth is that change can be really difficult.  Sometimes change makes us feel unwanted or left behind, it leaves us worried about the future for ourselves and our children, and it leaves us feeling out of control.  Change is distressing and it could be this kind of distress the author of Psalm 102 was feeling.

We don’t know who wrote Psalm 102.  Some think it was King David, but others think it may have been one of the prophets who experienced the fall of Israel and the destruction of Jerusalem.  What we know is that they were in some real distress because of how things were changing.   Psalm 102:1-4

Hear my prayer, Lord; let my cry for help come to you.

Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress.

Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly.

For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers.  My heart is blighted and withered like grass; and I forget to eat my food. 

The psalmist is crying out to God and part of his distress is over how things have changed.  He says, my days vanish like smoke, his body weakens quickly, it’s all like grass that is green one day and brown the next.  Things are changing and he is unsettled and feeling out of control.  

In a world where everything changes so fast that we find ourselves anxious and unsettled, the attribute of God that can give us hope and peace and strength is that God is unchanging.  When everything around us changes leaving us in a whirlwind, we can place our feet on solid ground because God never changes.  That’s where the psalmist found his hope and strength.  Psalm 102:25-27

In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, 

and the heavens are the work of your hands.

They will perish, but you remain;

they will all wear out like a garment.

Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.

But you remain the same, and your years will never end.

God is unchanging.  The Bible makes this clear.  

I, the Lord, do not change.  Malachai 3:6

Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever.  Hebrews 13:8

When nothing around us is safe and secure, when nothing gives us a firm foundation on which to stand, we can find comfort and strength in the truth that God is unchanging.  The economy and our finances change constantly, but God is the one who will supply all our needs and He never changes.  Our health can change at any moment but the one who created us and knows how our bodies work and can bring healing, does not change.  The stability of our nation and world can change overnight, but the God who created the world and is ruler of it all does not change.  The unchanging nature of God can give us strength and stability and hope in an ever changing world.  

There are three things about God that we know will never change and these three things can help us in life.  

  1. God’s word never changes.   The Bible itself tells us this.  

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.  Isaiah 40:8

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.  Matthew 24:35.  

What is so great about God’s word is that while it never changes, it is also living and active so it can speak to us in different ways at different times.  There were two very specific times in my life when God’s word spoke to me.  One was when I needed to know that God had forgiven me and redeemed me.  At that moment I read  Psalm 18;1-19.

Another time was when I needed guidance and direction and I read 

2 Timothy 2:2

God’s word doesn’t change.  Its truth doesn’t change.  Its wisdom and guidance doesn’t change.  It might speak to us in different ways at different times, but the truth and power of God’s word doesn’t change.  It is not the book of the month or the book of the year, it’s the book of the ages and what doesn’t change is its ability to speak to us today.  Many times we don’t read the Bible as much as the Bible reads us.  What I mean is that as we read it, it speaks to us.  That never changes.  The Bible is living and active and it will be living and active forever.  God’s word never changes.  

2. God’s character never changes.  Because God never changes, God’s character never changes.  The attributes we have talked about this month aren’t going to change next month.  God is merciful and God will always be merciful.  God’s mercy is new every morning.  God is loving and God will always be loving.  God is with us and God will always be with us.  God is good…. And all the time….

Because these attributes of God never change, we can depend on them, we can count on them, and we can trust them.  God is trustworthy and always will be.  For example, this is what the Bible says about the unchanging attribute of God’s love:    

What can separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  …No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:35, 37-39

Neither the present nor the future can change God’s love for us.  God’s love doesn’t change.  Because God is love, God can’t not love us.  Because God is merciful, God can’t not extend mercy to us.  God’s character doesn’t change and God’s love and mercy and grace isn’t for some and not for others, it’s for all people at all times.  God’s holiness is always there to initiate forgiveness for all.  

While our feelings about God might change  and our feelings about ourselves might change, God never changes and His feelings toward us never change.  God is not swayed by what we do or what we don’t do.  God’s character of love and grace and mercy is unchanging and the unchanging nature of God gives us strength and peace.  Our lives change and our world changes but God’s word does not change and God’s character does not change.  

3. God’s promises never change.  Again, God’s unchanging word says, no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ.  2 Corinthians 1:20

Every promise God has made to us, He will keep.  It’s hard for us to understand this because our lives are filled with broken promises.  Right now there are politicians making all kinds of promises to us to get us to vote for them, but the reality is that we don’t really believe them because we have seen politicians not keep their promises for generations.   We don’t always trust the advertisements we see and hear because we know that businesses don’t keep their promises. Everywhere we turn we find people who don’t keep their promises and unfortunately even those we love and trust the most don’t always keep their promises.  

Because all those around us don’t keep their promises, we have become cynical and jaded when we hear about a God who says He keeps His promises, but God does.  God’s promises are YES and AMEN.  God will not go back on what He has promised.  God can’t go back on His promise because He is the promise keeper and His character doesn’t change.  God’s promises are ours now and forever but too often we don’t lean on them or claim them for ourselves.  

How sad it is that God has made us so many promises that we either forget about or don’t accept.  It’s like a gift we aren’t using and enjoying.  How many of you have a gift card at home that you haven’t used?  I’ll be honest, I have several that I have had for a while and some that I have completely forgotten about.  I read this week that the value of unused gift cards is estimated to be between 20 and 25 Billion Dollars.  Billion!  Each of us probably have some.  We think about using them, but don’t or we have forgotten about them all together.  

All of those unused gift cards are like all the unused promises of God.  We know God has made these promises but we forget what they are and never accept and lean on them in our life.  When we don’t remember, claim and stand on God’s promises, we are losing out on so much.  Claim God’s promises!  They have not changed, they are still Yes and Amen.  They are still there for you today.  Whatever promise you need, it is there for you.  Listen to just some of the promises God has made to us.  

God gives strength for the weary - Isaiah 40:31

God forgives all our sin - 1 John 1:9

God will fight for us - Exodus 14:13-14

God gives us wisdom- James 1:5

God will make us new - Romans 1:8

God will never leave us nor forsake us - Deuteronomy 3:6

God gives us eternal life - John 3:16

God gives us freedom - John 8:36

God will meet all our NEEDS - Philippians 4:19

God has written our name in the book of life - Revelation 3:5

God prepares for us a home in heaven - John 14:3

God gives us peace - Isaiah 26:3

God gives us courage - John 16:33

Good has a good plan for our future - Jeremiah 29:11

God gives us a way out when we are tempted - 1 Corinthians 10:13

God will walk with us always - Psalm 23:1-4

God will guide us through life - Proverbs 3:5-6

These are just some of the promises God has made to us that He will keep.  We need to stand on them.  We need to trust them and know that God will never go back on them.  He will not change, He cannot change and He cannot NOT keep these promises.  

God’s word never changes.

God’s character never changes.

God’s promises never change.  They are Yes and Amen.  

As we say… God is good… And all the time….

 

Next Steps

God Is Unchanging

Read Psalm 102:1-11. 

● How might change be causing some of the author’s distress and depression?  

● Where do you find the pace of change in our world today unsettling?  

● What changes cause you the most frustration and anxiety?  

● What are some things that help you adjust to unexpected changes?

God is Unchanging

Read Psalm 102:25-2, Malachi 3:6, and Hebrews 13:8

● How does the unchanging nature of God give you hope, strength, and peace?

3 Things of God that never change:

1. God’s word never changes

Read Isaiah 40:8 and Matthew 24:35.

● How does the unchanging nature of God’s word give you hope?  

● When has God’s word spoken directly to you?  

2. God’s character never changes.

Looking back over this series, which attribute of God do you need to remember will never change and always be there:

● God’s Mercy

● God’s Love

● God’s Trustworthiness

● God’s Holiness

Why is this attribute so important to you?

3. God’s promises never change.

● Where have you seen God keep His promises in your life?  

● What promise of God do you need to lean on and trust today?

Consider how some of these promises can give you strength, help and peace: 

God gives strength for the weary - Isaiah 40:31

God forgives all our sin - 1 John 1:9

God will fight for us - Exodus 14:13-14

God gives us wisdom- James 1:5

God will make us new - Romans 1:8

God will never leave us nor forsake us - Deuteronomy 3:6

God gives us eternal life - John 3:16

God gives us freedom - John 8:36

God will meet all our NEEDS - Philippians 4:19

God has written our name in the book of life - Revelation 3:5

God prepares for us a home in heaven - John 14:3

God gives us peace - Isaiah 26:3

God gives us courage - John 16:33

Good has a good plan for our future - Jeremiah 29:11

God gives us a way out when we are tempted - 1 Cor. 10:13

God will walk with us always - Psalm 23:1-4

God will guide us through life - Proverbs 3:5-6

God Is Holy

 

We are in a series looking at different attributes of God and answering the question, God is __________.  Last week we looked at the attribute that is most widely believed but also most doubted and that is love.  We believe God is love and loves others, but we have a hard time believing that God loves us.  Today we are going to consider an attribute that might be the most important one of all, but the least popular.  The reason we don’t like this attribute is because of what it means for us.  The attribute is the holiness of God.  God is Holy.  Actually, according to the Bible God is Holy, Holy, Holy.  Isaiah 6:1-4

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”  At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.  

King Uzziah ruled in Judah, which was the southern kingdom of Israel, for 52 years.  For the most part, Uzziah was a strong and faithful ruler and during his reign the people knew prosperity and stability.  When Uzziah died, it created a time of uncertainty and anxiety.  It was the end of a long and good period, and most of the people only knew Uzziah as their king.  It was the end of an era and the people were anxious and scared about the future.

A few years ago I felt some of that same anxiety and fear.  It was the end of an amazing era, the most successful our nation had ever seen and I was worried about what was going to happen at Duke when Coach K retired.  He had been at Duke for 41 years.  He won 5 national championships and went to the final four 13 times.  He won 1,129 games in his career, more than any other men’s college basketball coach.  Every year I knew Duke would do well with Coach K leading them, but what was going to happen now.  

It’s the way many of you felt when Coach Paterno was no longer leading Penn State Football.  It was the end of an era and a time of great uncertainty.  Maybe you feel this way as you prepare for your first child and you know your life will never be the same again.  Or maybe you are facing an empty nest with all your kids away, or retirement is staring you in the face.  As a nation we kind of feel this way right now because each side of the political aisle is telling us that this is the most important election in our nation's history.  Whether it is or not, we don’t know, but the messaging creates uncertainty and anxiety.  

This is the context for Isaiah’s vision.  In the midst of all the uncertainty, anxiety, and fear about the future, Isaiah looks up and sees the Lord high and lifted up and six winged seraphim above Him.  We don’t know what these seraphs looked like, but they had two wings to fly, two wings to cover their faces in the presence of God, and two wings to cover their feet because all of the ground and space around them was holy.  The seraph were calling out to one another, Holy, Holy, Holy. In Hebrew it was, Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh.

In Hebrew, a word being repeated like this was to emphasize its meaning.  We do this at times, like when I say I am never going on a tilt-a-whirl again. Never. Never. Never.  Or you see your dog going after some food and you say, No. No. No.  It’s the same thing here only with heavenly power.  Holy, Holy. Holy.  God isn’t just holy, God is holy, holy, holy.

So just what does the word holy mean?  In our culture it is used in all kinds of ways, some that I can’t say here because we are trying to be holy.  You might hear holy cow, or holy smoke when people are amazed at something, or we might hear holy communion or holy matrimony when we are in church.  And of course there is the holy grail, whether you like Indiana Jones or Monty Python.  It can also be used in a negative way to talk about some Christians.  They are holier than thou or holy rollers. 

The word holy jut means separate or set apart.  It means that what we are talking about is like no other.  For example, the Holy Bible is simply a book that is like no other.  It is set apart from every other book because we believe it was divinely inspired by God.  We usually reserve the word holy to talk about things that are different in good ways or things that are set apart because they are special.  

The author Tony Evans helps us understand the word by talking about our dishes.  We have ordinary dishes that we use every day, but then many of us have the special dishes we only get out a few times a year.  These are the family heirlooms that are not only a cut above the everyday dishes, but they are also stored high up on the shelves or in a completely separate cabinet to keep them safe.  These are the dishes we wash by hand because the gold leaf is real gold and we don’t want it to come off in the dishwasher and because the crystal is too thin to be hit by jets of water. These are holy.  

God is holy.  That means God is separate, unique and like not other.  In fact, God is set apart from everyone and everything else.  God is pure and perfect and righteous.  God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. God is without fault, without blemish, without sin.  God is good, all the time and all the time….  God is all love, all power and all strength.  God is all wisdom, and all wisdom comes from God.  God is holy.  God is so holy that he is Holy Holy Holy.  There is no one like our God.  The Bible says, 

Who among the gods is like you, Lord?  Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?  Exodus 15:11

So, during a time of uncertainty and anxiety about the future, when Isaiah and the people of Judah didn’t know what was going to happen to them or how God was going to lead them, Isaiah had a vision of the Almighty God and it reminded him and the people that God alone is Holy and because God holy, things were going to be ok.

While this vision had to be an encouragement to Isaiah about the future, look at what happens to him personally.

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”  Isaiah 6:5-7

Seeing the holiness of God ruined Isaiah because God’s holiness exposed Isaiah sinfulness.  Isaiah, a prophet, a man called to speak the word of God, cries out saying, I am a man of unclean lips.  He sees his own sin.  He knows how unworthy he is.  He confesses his sin and then the sin of his people.  And notice that Isaiah does all of this without God ever saying a word.  God’s presence alone was enough to drive Isaiah to his knees.  It was enough to cause Isaiah to repent. 

This is why this attribute of God is often the one we like the least because without a word, God’s holiness exposes our sinfulness.  God’s light exposes all that we want to hide in the darkness.  God’s goodness exposes all the ways we aren’t good and that is not something we enjoy.  We would rather talk about God’s mercy, love and grace than our own failure, sin and brokenness.  We like God’s forgiveness but we don’t want to have to come face to face with all those things which need to be forgiven.  Billy Graham said. 

It is only when we understand the holiness of God that we understand the depth of our sin.   

Isaiah just stands before God and confesses his sin.  He doesn’t ask or beg for forgiveness - he’s not worthy of it.  He doesn’t negotiate and say that he will do better - he knows that he never will do better.  The holiness of God has exposed him as a sinner.  The more of God’s holiness we see, the more our own sin is exposed.  

The more radiant God is, the more ruined we are.  It’s not a pleasant attribute to think about or focus on because of what it says about us, but if we go on, we will see why this just might be the attribute we need to focus on the most.  

As Isaiah stands before God, exposed as a sinner, God sends a seraph with a burning coal to touch Isaiah’s lips, The seraph said, your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.

Isaiah has done nothing to deserve this forgiveness and restoration.  Isaiah didn’t ask for it, he didn’t beg for it, he did nothing but stand in his guilt and shame before a holy God.  It was the holiness of God that forgave Isaiah and atoned for his sin.  It was the holiness of God that initiated forgiveness and chose to forgive.  It’s the holiness of God that moves God to love unconditionally.  God initiates it.  God desires it. God wants to forgive so that we can be in the holiness of His presence.  In the New Testament it says,   

God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

While the holiness of God might expose the reality of our sin, it also reveals the perfect power of God’s unconditional love.  If God is truly like no other, then He is like no other in His ability to love.  If God is like no other in His love, then He will forgive us and restore us and we can trust Him to do it.  If God is holy, then He alone is trustworthy.  We can trust Him to forgive us and redeem us and help us and heal us.  God cannot go back on His love because it is the perfect love of a father who will never forsake us.  

Maybe this is the message you need to hear today, that the holiness of God is reaching out not to condemn you but to restore you.  We might need to come to terms with the reality of our sin and failures, we might need to fall to our knees and confess our sin and unworthiness, but we also might need to know that God is already on His way to touch us and forgive us.  God is already on His way to forgive us and call us to His side and His mission.  That might be the message you need to hear today.  

When Isaiah was confronted by the holiness of God, it drove him to his knees in confession, and then lifted him up in love to new life.  God’s holiness so completely changed Isaiah that he went from saying, I’m a sinner to saying, I am your servant.  

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”  And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8  

Isaiah was willing to go and do whatever God asked him to do and what God asked him to do was go and give a message to the people.  It wasn’t just any message, however, it was a message that would not only give hope to the people of God then, but give hope to God’s people for generations.  It is a message that still gives hope and assurance to God’s people, to us, today. Just one chapter after this vision and call of Isaiah, God gave him this message:   

The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.  Isaiah 7:14

For the people Isaiah was talking to then, this meant that God was going to send a leader who would deliver them in just a few short years.  Those who were seeking to destroy them were going to soon be destroyed.  For generations to come, this was a promise of the coming Messiah.  A virgin was going to give birth to a son, and he was going to be called Immanuel, which means God is with us.  That is what we hear in the gospel of Matthew when Joseph was told when Mary was pregnant.  Her child was going to be the Messiah.   This was one of the first messages given to God’s people about the coming of the Messiah and today it is a reminder to us that God has sent this Messiah and His name is Jesus.

The prophet with unclean lips was not only forgiven and redeemed by the holiness of God, he was given a message of hope for all generations.  The Holiness of God was coming to initiate forgiveness for all the world, and that’s what Jesus did.  

Jesus was the holiness of God who didn’t come because we begged and pleaded for mercy or because we were in any way worthy of grace and love, Jesus came because God’s holy love sent Him.  

There are a lot of people leaving the church today and leaving the Christian faith.  Maybe the church hasn’t been a good example of God’s goodness and love.  Maybe we haven’t shared passionately enough that God initiates forgiveness and salvation. Maybe people new and fresh expressions of what it means to experience God has holy and loving.  That’s one reason we are working to reach out in new ways through some fresh expressions.  As people leave the faith, it makes me want to ask, where are you going to go?  

There is no other god like our God.  There is no other god whose Holiness initiates forgiveness and salvation. There is no other god whose Holy love comes to us in our filth and shame and sin.  There is no other god who comes to save us.  There is no other god like our God.  The psalmist says: 

My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, Lord?  You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.  Psalm 35:10

There is no one else who can save you.  There is no one else who can heal you.  There is no one else who can forgive you.  There is no one else who can redeem you and restore you and comfort you.  There is no one else who will walk with you and talk with you and speak to you.  There is no one else who is trustworthy and whose mercy is new every morning.  There is no one like our God, a God who is Holy, Holy, Holy.  

 

Next Steps

God Is Holy

What do you think about when you hear the word holy?

How would you define the word holy?

Read Exodus 15:11 and Psalm 35:10

● How often do you think of God as holy? 

● How does God’s holiness impact your view of Him?

Read Isaiah 6:1-8

● How does God’s holiness help the people of Judah at this moment in their history?

● What does God’s holiness do to Isaiah?  Why?

● What is God’s response?

● What message did God give Isaiah to share with the people?  (See Isaiah 7:14)

God’s Holiness in your life:

● When has God’s holiness moved you to repentance?

● Where do you need God’s holiness to shine in your life today?

● Why does God’s holiness not only lead to repentance but to forgiveness and new life?  

● God’s holiness moved Isaiah to say, Here am I, send me.  Where can God send you with His message of unconditional love and grace?  

● Who do you know that needs to hear that God initiates forgiveness in our lives?  Share that message with them.

Prayer:  Father, You are holy, holy, holy.  You are perfect in your love and grace.  We want to worship You with all that we have and all that we are. Show us where we might be blind to sin in our lives, and stir and shake us up to repentance. We praise You. We love You. We worship You.  Send us forth in your name and with your message of salvation. Here I am, Lord.  Send me, in Jesus name.  Amen.