God, Why Are You Ruining My Life? | Jentezen Franklin

Monday, September 28

When life feels unbearable and nothing seems to change, hope isn't lost. Learn how to find strength and peace in Jesus even in life's hardest seasons.

Key scriptures

Psalm 141:2; Luke 22:42-43; Matthew 26:39; I Samuel 30:6

Introducción

There are seasons in life when we love God, trust God, and pray—but still find ourselves wondering, “God, why are You ruining my life?” Sometimes life becomes so unbearable that we wonder why our prayers have not changed our circumstances. We ask God to remove the pain, change the situation, open the door, heal the relationship, or give us the miracle we desperately need.

But what if prayer is doing something deeper than simply changing what is happening around us?

In this message, Pastor Jentezen Franklin reminds us that prayer is not a formula that guarantees the removal of every trouble. There are times when the circumstances remain, the answer seems delayed, and the situation does not change as quickly as we hoped. Yet, like incense rising before God, prayer and praise can change the atmosphere in which we are walking. They bring us into the presence of God, where He gives us strength for another day, peace for another moment, and grace to bear what once seemed unbearable.

The question, then, is not always, “How can I get out of this?” Sometimes it is, “How can I find God's strength while I am going through this?” As we reflect on this message, let us discover the sweetness of God's presence and learn to keep praying, keep praising, and keep trusting—even when nothing around us seems to be changing.

LET’S START THE DISCUSSION:

What stood out to you in this past Sunday’s message?

Prayer Is the Incense That Sweetens the Unbearable

Psalm 141:2

"Let my prayer be set before You as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice." NKJV

In the Old Testament, incense was a type of prayer. We see this imagery throughout Scripture. In Revelation, the incense on the altar represents the prayers of God's people.

In Exodus 30:7-8, God gave Moses instructions concerning the Tabernacle and the Altar of Incense. The altar stood just outside the Holy of Holies, and the high priest would pass by it as he entered the presence of God. The offering of incense was not optional. It was an essential part of worship. Praise and prayer are essential as we enter into God's presence.

When animal sacrifices were offered in the outer court, there would have been the strong, unpleasant smell of blood and flesh. The incense, however, filled the area with a beautiful aroma. When the scent spread through the Tabernacle, it overwhelmed the foul smell. The stench was still there, but the aroma made it bearable.

There is a powerful lesson for us in this. You may be going through something incredibly difficult right now. You may be praying for God to remove the situation, yet it may not change immediately. But God can change how you experience it. He can meet you in the middle of the difficulty. He can bring His presence into the midst of your pain and give you strength to endure what you cannot yet escape. His presence can soften what feels hard, bring peace into what feels chaotic, and bring sweetness into circumstances that otherwise seem unbearable.

There is power in prayer. There is power in praise. Keep praying, even when your prayers have not yet been answered. Keep praising, even when you do not understand what God is doing. Instead of allowing yourself to be consumed by complaining, put on the garment of praise.

Prayer may not always change the situation immediately, but it changes us before it changes others or our circumstances. The difficulty may still be there. The pain may still be real. The answer may still be waiting. But when we pray and praise, the presence of God meets us in the middle of it. The stench may remain, but the incense rises. What once seemed unbearable can become bearable through the presence, strength, and peace of God.

Keep praying. Keep praising. Keep trusting.

When the Lord Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed:

Verse 42: "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours be done."

Verse 43: "Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him."

Jesus prayed for the hurt, death, and suffering to pass Him by, but the cup was not removed. Instead, God sent an angel to strengthen Him and sweeten the atmosphere. If you can't take it anymore, take it to the Lord in prayer. Joy, peace, and power will be our portion when we pray.

Discussion Questions

What situation in your life has sweetened through praise and prayer?

How has your praise and prayer recently impacted the people around you?

Encourage Yourself in the Lord

1 Samuel 30:6 (NIV)

"David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God."

David was at the lowest point of his life. He and his men returned to Ziklag to find it burned to the ground and their wives and children taken captive. The men wept until they had no strength left to weep. Then their grief turned to anger, and they began talking about stoning David. He had lost his home, his family, and the loyalty of the men who followed him.

Nothing had changed yet. The city was still ashes, and the family was still gone. But the Bible says David "encouraged himself in the Lord his God" (KJV). He didn't wait for his circumstances to improve or for someone else to lift him up. He remembered who God was. The God who helped him defeat the bear, the lion, and the giant had not changed, even though his situation had. David swung the censer of worship in the middle of the smoke, and his spirit was strengthened before his circumstances were.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Application: When life feels unbearable, we can wait for things to change, or we can do what David did and speak to our own souls about who God is and what He has already done. Prayer and praise may not remove the problem today, but they sweeten the atmosphere and give us strength to keep going. Whatever you're facing right now, send up your own incense. Pray, thank Him, and declare His faithfulness out loud, even before you see a change.

Discussion Questions

What "Ziklag" are you facing right now, and what has God already done in your past that you can remind yourself of this week?

What is one specific way you will send up prayer and praise this week, at a set time or place, especially on the days when nothing seems to change?

Conclusión

Prayer is more than a request for God to change our circumstances. Prayer is also where God changes and strengthens us as we walk through circumstances we cannot change. There will be seasons when we pray for the door to open, the situation to turn around, the pain to disappear, or the answer to finally come—and yet nothing seems different.

But sometimes, while nothing has changed around us, God is doing something within us.

We see this in Jesus in Gethsemane. He prayed, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” Jesus did not pretend that the coming suffering was easy. He brought His pain honestly before the Father. Yet He ultimately surrendered, “Nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done.” The cup was not removed, but as He prayed, He received strength to face it.

David also learned that there are moments when we cannot change what has happened. We cannot go backward and undo the pain. We cannot always recover what has been lost. But by God's grace, we can still move forward. We can encourage ourselves in the Lord when our circumstances have not changed, because our strength does not come from the situation—it comes from God's presence.

That is the hope of this message: prayer may not always change the problem, but prayer can change how we walk through the problem. Praise may not immediately remove the pain, but it can lift our eyes from the pain and remind us that God is still with us.

So, when life becomes unbearable, keep sending up the incense. Keep praying. Keep praising. Keep worshiping. Keep bringing your heart before God.

The situation may still be there. The answer may still be on its way. The circumstances may not have changed—but as you remain in God's presence, He can sweeten what you cannot fix, strengthen you for what you cannot avoid, and give you grace for what you cannot understand.

Keep the incense burning. Keep praying. Keep praising. And trust that even in the unbearable season, God is with you.

Recursos

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