Why Does God Relent?

A brother in the Lord commented on my post, "The Power of Prayer?" and inspired me to write formally about God relenting to the prayers of people. If God's will cannot and will not be changed, why does God relent in Scripture? Why do we see the Lord show mercy to the Ninevites in the book of Jonah or why does God not obliterate the Israelites when His anger burns against them? The best way to answer these questions (since they are based on Scriptural stories) is to reply to them with Scripture.

In regards to God relenting in response to repentance, there is a wonderful passage which is Jeremiah 18:5-10 and it says, "Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, 'Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?' declares the LORD. 'Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it'" (NASB).

This passage reveals that the Lord intends to punish those who are wicked and show mercy to those who repent from wickedness and turn to Him. Sin will lead to God's wrath and repentance will lead to God's mercy. God will bless His children if they pursue Him and punish them if they turn away to sin instead. Every action has a consequence in God's plan. For example, if America pursues the Lord Jesus and promotes biblical principles and morals, the Lord will bless it. But if America turns away from the Lord to pursue wickedness, God will uproot us. I personally believe that the prosperity and freedom in America originated from a love for the Lord. The Separatists and Puritans wanted religious freedom, not just some extra acreage. They wanted to serve the Lord zealously apart from a state-run, oppressive, heretical church. The Lord blessed America and we became one of the most desirable places to live over a century ago. But Christianity has been put away in America and is even being erased from our history books so that it appears as if Christianity had no influence in our early years. Now Christianity is scorned, lewdness is accepted, fornication expected, and the most abominable sins are tolerated. Unfortunately, America is now the target of many nations for terrorism. We are hated, attacked on our own land, our economy is in dire straits, unemployment abounds, and we have been at war for ten years now with terrorists. I believe this is a perfect example of sowing and reaping. An organization called Wall Builders has some amazing research about the Christian history of America and how the decline of Christianity in America is correlated to the moral decline of America.

Yet, there is still hope for a nation that turns away from God.  In 2 Chronicles 7:13-15 the Lord says, "If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place" (NASB). The Lord promised Israel that if they humbled themselves, repented, and sought the face of the Lord, Yahweh, He would heal their land and forgive their sin. Though these two verses are about Israel, I do believe that there is hope for a nation like America if it were to make a U-Turn away from immorality and return to Christianity. The Lord spared the Ninevites because they cried out to Him for mercy and forgiveness. I believe the Lord would forgive America and heal the land if the people cried out to Him in repentance.

I would like to conclude this post on a verse that ties all of my recent posts on prayer together. 1 Samuel 15:35 says, "Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind" (NASB). The Lord does not change His mind. When people pray, His will is not changed by the power of their prayer. Yet, prayer is necessary to humble us before the Lord and to accept His sovereign will. The Lord also states that He will punish the wicked and show mercy to the contrite. It is in God's will to forgive and to justly punish.