(Continued from yesterday)
Yesterday we looked at the healing of Hezekiah which prompted opposing views as to the efficacy of prayer. Today we examine the evidence supporting each side.
Those who believe “God does not change His mind” feel that since God is omniscient, He already knows Hezekiah will pray and He will heal him. He just did not tell him in advance so that he will turn to God for everything, big (e.g. Sennacherib 2 Kings 19:14-19) and small (personal illness). They explained the verses indicating “the Lord changed His mind” as only apparent from man’s perspective, as “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb 13:8).
Those who believe “God changes His mind” feel that with respect to major decrees – what God has sworn and purposed – indeed the LORD does NOT change His mind. These decrees are of eternal significance and can never be changed. However, with respect to lesser issues, e.g. pronouncing misfortune on His people in order to make them repent, God’s plan provides for alternative outcomes based on how they respond to His warnings. If they repent, God will relent on the punishment. If they persist in their evil, then God will send the harm He threatened them with.
To use a journey as an illustration, the “No Change” school is like God planning the complete itinerary, including destination (ends) and side tours (means). Everything is predestined, unchangeable. The “Change” school is like God fixing only the final destination, but allowing “options” giving people choice for side tours. You always end up where God wants you, because God is sovereign, but there is flexibility in the means.
Which school is correct? I believe the weight of the evidence is on the latter, as follows:
1. Besides Ex 32:12,14; Jer 26:13, 19; and Amos 7:3,6, there is a preponderance of passages speaking of the LORD relenting from calamity when His people turns from evil:
• 2 Sam 24:16 When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough! Now relax your hand!
• Ps 106:45 And He remembered His covenant for their sake, And relented according to the greatness of His loving-kindness.
• Jer 15:6 “You who have forsaken Me,” declares the LORD, “You keep going backward. So I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you; I am tired of relenting!
• Jer 18:8 if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it.
• Jer 42:10 ‘If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you; for I will relent concerning the calamity that I have inflicted on you.
• Joel 2:13-14 And rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in loving-kindness And relenting of evil. Who knows whether He will not turn and relent And leave a blessing behind Him, …
• Jonah 3:9-10 Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.” When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.
• Jonah 4: … for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.
All the passages speak of God relenting (changing His mind) when His people turn from their wicked ways, because of His great loving-kindness.
(To be continued)
Pastor Ray's blog: rayliu1 
Hi Ray!
Calvary greetings to you in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(I know this is the most inappropriate means of connecting with you…but this is the avenue I could find. Please forgive me.)
I thank God for your life and the awesome work you are doing on your blog!
I pray for more wisdom, grace and strength for you in Jesus name!
My name (in short) is Tim and I am the founder of the newly unveiled Christian Social Community: http://www.rhemalog.com
If I may crave your indulgence, I will quickly like to intimate you on our purpose, goals and objectives.
The name Rhemalog is a compound word, coined from both “Rhema” and “Log”.
It means, putting into writing(Log), your encounters in the Word of God(Rhema).
That is, sharing with the beloved, the things that God has shown unto you in His Word.
Rhemalog was established by the leading of the Holy Spirit, as a platform to enrich and impact the body of Christ all over the World!
You will agree with me that there is a lot of degradation going on.
Abuse, spiritual contaminations, mental pollutions and attacks on our faith.
All you need is to refresh your social-media pages long enough…then boom!
There you have it, in your face!
But.
Wouldnt it be awesome to have a sanctified environment?
A platform built solely for the Children of God.
Devoid of negativity around us, but filled with inspirations, encouragements and above all, the WORD OF GOD!
A breath of fresh air.
Family friendly, conducive, loving and embracing.
Your own family of fellow brethren, encouraging, building, cheering on and strengthening each other on a daily basis!
This is our driving force.
The clarion call that moved us to put Rhemalog in place.
And this is our call to you: Would you like to join us?
As one of the (Christian) thinkers and opinion-makers out there, logically, it is a no-brainer that we need you, especially since our main goal is to ensure that the people are well fed.
We need your insightful thoughts. Inspirational ideas. Well written pieces. We need YOU!
We need you, not only as a member, but also as an A-List contributor.
And we already have all the tools required.
– Personal Blogging feature
– Video sharing
– Community pages (think facebook pages)
– Timelines and profiles
– Pictures, etc
Together, we can build one of the most vibrant and impact-full communities out there.
Should you decide to join us now:
– Your personal blog and info will be shared on our social media pages (with over 67,000 members)
– As an early adopter, you will be a part of a huge and influential community at its infant stage.
– Your community page will be featured, if you create one. Meaning, it will come up first in searches and views (with its own cute ribbon)
– You can host all your youtube and vimeo videos, thereby increasing your viewer-ship and enhancing your reach.
Well, “gold and silver” we have not.
But can you help us be a blessing to the children of God out there?
It will be a huge honour and we will be waiting for you.
The first step is to be registered. Duration of your submissions will be totally up to you. To keep up though, we would suggest you begin by sharing the links to your blog posts, later on, you can start doing reblogs or creating unique postings using our blog feature.
However, in-between, we would love your quips, wits, quotes and words of wisdom, posted on your homepage timeline. We consider these to be quick tonic for the soul…snacks for those in hurried need of inspiration and motivations.
Whichever option you choose, we cannot wait to have a drink from the fountain of your God-given wisdom.
Thanks and may God continually keep His face shining on you.
Yours in Christ,
Tim (Rhemalog Community)
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