Over the past two Sabbaths, we have
been asking some of life’s most difficult
questions. First, we asked, “What if we’ve
been wrong?” and discovered that
disappointment with God often begins
with expectations He never gave us. Last
Sabbath, we asked, “What if God is
silent?” and learned through the prophet
Habakkuk that God’s silence is not God’s absence. Even
when we cannot see Him working, we can trust Him
because yesterday’s faithfulness gives confidence for
tomorrow.
This Sabbath, we take another step in our journey with
perhaps the most personal question of all:
What if God says no?
Every one of us has prayed prayers that seemed certain to
be answered. We prayed for healing, but the sickness
remained. We prayed for a relationship to be restored, but
the pain continued. We prayed for a door to open, but it
stayed closed. In those moments, we often wonder if God
has stopped listening or if our faith somehow wasn’t strong
enough.
The apostle Paul understood those feelings. Few people in
Scripture experienced God’s power as dramatically as
Paul. He saw miracles, planted churches, and faithfully
preached the gospel throughout the Roman Empire. Yet
when he pleaded with God three times to remove what he
called his “thorn in the flesh,” God’s answer was not the
one Paul hoped for. Instead of removing the thorn, God
offered something greater: “My grace is sufficient for you,
for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
Sometimes we spend so much time asking God to change
our circumstances that we miss what He is trying to
accomplish within us. Could it be that God’s greatest gift is
not always the answer we want, but His presence, His
grace, and His transforming power through life’s greatest
struggles?
I invite you to join us this Sabbath as we continue
our “What If…?” series and discover that even when God
says “no,” He is never withholding His love. His grace is
always enough, His wisdom is always perfect, and His
plans are always better than our own.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sabbath.
Pastor Raul Alvarez
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