Malachi  3:6: “For I am the Lord, I change not.”

It seemed like a couple years ago I was on a roll.  God seemed to be answering practically every prayer I prayed.  I even joked to some people that I seemed to have hit a vein of gold and to give me your prayer request because I’m batting a thousand.

Lately, however, it seems the well has run dry, I pray over and over and there is no response. I follow all the Scriptural rules. I pray without ceasing, I enter boldly before the throne, I pray in Jesus name, I am specific in my prayers, I pray in faith,  Yet, I ask and don’t receive, I seek and do not find. I even do extra biblical things, like beg, plead, and try to bribe God with promises of faithful tithes and church attendance.

I have been a Christian since I was a small child, and now, for almost half a century, this is the first time I feel like I am abandoned by God. This passage of Scripture makes quite a statement.   God declares that he does not change.  Considering the fact that there appears to be a change going on in how God deals with me and my prayers, I think I need to study out this word change as it seems to be blaming me and not God for unanswered prayers.

The Hebrew word change that is used in Malachi 3:6 is the word shaniti which comes from the root word shanah  like in Rosh Hashanah the Jewish New Year.  This is where we get the word for year.  It basically means to repeat over and over again.  It means to change and to alter.  Yet this changing carries a time element to it. We say everything changes over time. The problem in God’s case is that  He lives outside of time, there is no opportunity for change. By His very nature as infinite, he cannot change in the shanah sense of change.  Ok, change is probably the best English word to apply here, but it does not always carrie that emphasis on time. Specifically what does this shanah or change involve?  Can shanah explain to me why God has not answered my prayers.  Is it because He is angry with me over some sin I committed?  Is He, for whatever reason, just turning cold to me, bored with me and our relationship has cooled off.  Or could it be that He is no longer listening to me, has turned a deaf ear and is indifferent to me.

Now I am worried, so I call to Shanah in Malchai 3:6 in my Hebrew Bible.  The word is spelled Shin, Nun and Hei and I ask if they would step out of my Hebrew Bible for a moment as I have a serious question to ask.  Shin, Nun and Hei came walking out onto my desk and find a comfortable place to sit down. Shin is sitting on my computer, Nun is on keypad and Hei has taken up residence on the edge of my glass of iced tea.    “Ok, Shana or should I say Shin, Nun and Hei,” I say: “You spell out a word that does not describe God and that is change. Now, I want to know, if God is not changing, then why has He not answered my prayer. A couple years ago I could pray for whatever I wanted and God always seemed fit to answer that prayer and now, I get nothing.  Well, Shin, you first, speak up, what is your meaning, why are you the first letter to shana which means change. What is it about you that contributes this to God is not changing business?”

All of a sudden Shin jumps up off my computer, stands in front of me and  ignites into a flame.  He points his finger at me and says: “How dare you speak to me in that tone of voice. I will answer you when I am good and ready. Right now I am burning with anger over your attitude and suggestion that God has changed.  How dare you?  How dare you? Who do you think you are you, you, you worm you?”    With that Shin then ignites into a consuming flame and hops around my desk until he jumps into my glass of Iced Tea where I see smoke, hear a sizzle and then an “ahhh.”  “You didn’t put sugar in this tea did you?” demands Shin, “I don’t want to get all sticky and besides it will send my blood sugar up along with my blood pressure which, thanks to you, just jumped.”  I recall reading in Jewish literature where the shin can become a consuming flame and burn completely out of control. Thank goodness for my Iced Tea, which is undrinkable now.  Yet, if God is not a changing God, then Shin has not answered my question.  God’s anger does not burn out of control.  If he does not change, then He is just as patient with my imperfections as He has always been. I am certain He is not refusing to answer my prayers because He is sick and tired of my imperfections.

So now I turn to Nun.  “Nun,” I ask, “Can you tell me why God has changed from answering my prayers to not answering them?”  Nun responds by folding his arms and turning away from me saying: “Humph, why should I tell you, you, you worm you.”   With that “Nun” turned into a block of ice.  I could not help but think of ancient tradition which says that the “Nun” can be a shadow of coolness and aloofness.   I motion to Shin that his buddy has frozen and perhaps the fire of Shin could melt the coldness.  Shin only waves me off, while doing a back stroke in my glass of Iced Tea.  Shin is just enjoying himself too much to be bothered. Obvious Shin and Nun may share the same word, shana, but they do not get along.

I turn to Hei, the broken letter.   He, is so busy trying to put himself together that he barely hears my question. Like Humpty Dumpty who fell off the wall, Hei fell off my glass when Shin jumped into it. He  just turns his back on me and continues to pick up his pieces as he says; “Whatever, you worm”  and walks away.   I half expected that much from Hei.  In his Shadow he shows indifference, lack of concern and caring.

Well, that explains why change is important.  When there is a fire of passion that burns out of control or coldness and aloofness set in or indifference and there is a lack concern, then change becomes necessary.  Perhaps that is why God never changes.   He is always in control, never cool or aloof and never unconcerned.   I look at Shin swimming in my glass of Iced Tea and cooling down, and think, well that is not God, he is not burned up over my sins and refusing to answer prayers.   I see Nun a frozen block of ice and totally unresponsive.   That is not God either and not having my prayer answered does not mean God is unresponsive.   I then look off  and saw Hei sitting off alone in a corner trying to piece himself back together. If God is not like Hei off in a corner brooding  and uncaring, then it isn’t out of a lack of concern that He does not answer my prayer.

“Can’t any of you tell me why God is not answering my prayers if He is not related to any of you that make of shanah (change)?”   “Shut up worm” they all shout. Isaac Watts knew what it was all about.”  “Isaac Watts?” I declare:  “Wat, I mean what does an eighteenth century hymn writer have to do with all this.  Shin just floating on his back in my Iced Tea nonchalantly says: “Consider his most famous hymn.”

Alas and did my Savior bleed

And did my Sovereign die

Would He devote that sacred head

For such a worm as I

At the cross at the cross

Where I first saw the light

And the burden of my heart rolled away

It was there by faith I received my sight

And now I am happy all the day.

When Isaac Watts wrote these words people complained about his use of the word worm. Ah but  Isaac Watts had studied Hebrew and he knew that the Hebrew word for worm was tola which is really the same word used for a caterpillar. So when people complained he  simply replied: “Is not a caterpillar a worm?”  A caterpillar when it reaches maturity turns into a beautiful butterfly.  But before that he must spend time in his cocoon.   No God does not change or shana because he does not live in time.  But I live in time and I need to time change shana from just a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly.  To bring about this change, like the caterpillar I must burn away all my desires for this world, lock myself in a cocoon where I become indifferent to the temptations of this  world and unresponsive to the temptations of this world so God can bring about this wonderful change from a tola to a butterfly.   I realized that all my unanswered prayers were just prayers for the cares and things of this world which the Shin keeps burning away showing my real prayer and that is to become like Jesus.