I was recently chatting with my friend, Anne Peterson, for an upcoming episode of “Your Hope Filled Perspective Podcast” (which you’re going to love, by the way!) After we stopped recording and Anne and I were discussing the current state of affairs of our world, and the pandemic we’re all dealing with, she shared with me a list of things you’ll never hear God say. I absolutely loved it and knew I wanted to share it with you. So I asked Anne to contribute to today’s post and share what she shared with me. I know you’ll enjoy it:
12 Things You’ll Never Hear God Say
By Anne Peterson
Look around. The world is off kilter. We’re hearing one thing after another and before we know it, we’re not sure what to believe. People are becoming anxious and worried and those feelings are contagious. Unless we know the truth.
The one thing that will help us today is knowing who God is. Keeping ourselves in His Word so we can sift out the things that are not true.
While people may be uncertain as to what’s going on, God is never caught off guard.
Here is a list of things you’ll never hear God say.
1. Oops! … Uh-oh!
People make mistakes. Little blunders here and there. But not God. God is sovereign. He knows what he’s doing. Not just some of the time, but all of the time. God doesn’t make mistakes.
2 Samuel 22: 31, As for God, his way is perfect. The Lord’s Word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him.
We are talking about the God who directs lightning where it should go. Nothing is by chance with God. And we also know that when we do make mistakes, God promises that He will work things out.
Romans 8:28, For we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.
2. I think so
God created the whole world. He did it with wisdom. Wisdom we can’t even comprehend with our finite minds.
Isaiah 55:8&9 says, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways.
The first time I read this verse my reaction was, wait! you mean we don’t think alike? And the answer is no. We don’t think alike. He is God and we are not.
3. I can’t believe it!!
Nothing man can do surprises God. God is omniscient which means he knows everything. And if we’re talking about something we come up with, God knows not only what we do, He also knows our thoughts.
Psalm 94:11 says, The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath.
Psalm 139:4 says, Even before a word is on my tongue, behold O Lord, you know it altogether.
Our Father, God, knows us completely.
4. I’m not sure
We humans make decisions and then struggle with them, wondering if we chose the right path, the right way. But this is not true about God.
Psalm 147:4 says, He counts the number of stars; He gives names to all of them.
Do you know there are millions of stars? And yet, our God took the time and effort to name each one. And whatever he chose that became the name. There was no guessing about it. God created the whole world. And it came right out of his infinite mind. There were no plans he needed to follow. None.
5. I don’t know
God sees what is visible and what is invisible to our eyes. There is nothing God doesn’t know. Including the hearts of men.
Job 28:24, For he looks to the ends of the earth. And sees everything under the heavens.
Psalm 44:21, Would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.
Psalm 147:5, Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.
6. Beats me!
Psalm 103: 14 says, O Lord, how many are your works. In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your possessions.
God is almighty, all powerful. No one will have the upper hand on the almighty God.
Proverbs 3:19-20, The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, by understanding He established the heavens. By His knowledge the deeps were broken up and the skies drip with dew.
God cannot be stumped.
7. You’re kidding?
We cannot surprise God with our actions. The world does nothing that surprises him. When you know all things, nothing catches you off guard.
Psalm 33:13-15, From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.
Job 37:16, Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of Him who has perfect knowledge?
Romans 11:33, Oh the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
8. I don’t have time for you
The enemy of our soul, Satan, will tell us God doesn’t have time for us. That God is tired of us coming to Him with our requests. But this is a huge lie, from the pit of hell.
Isaiah 40:28, Do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.
God encourages us to bring our requests to Him.
Matthew 7:11, If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
1 Peter 5:7, Cast all your anxiety on Him, because he cares for you.
Just as we care about what our children need, God is concerned about our needs.
Psalm 55:22, Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
9. Shame on you
We were pronounced guilty, but God made a way for our sins to be forgiven by the blood Jesus shed on the cross. Jesus became cursed, when he bore our sins. God never shames us. Never.
Romans 8:1, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:21. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God.
Romans 5:1, Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
10. I wish you were never born
God created us in our mother’s womb.
Jeremiah 1:5. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.
Psalm 139:13-14, For you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Isaiah 49:16, Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.
Ephesians 2:10, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
11. I’m leaving you
We may feel alone, but we are never alone because God is and always will be with us.
Deuteronomy 31:6, Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.
Joshua 1:9, Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord you God is with you wherever you go.
Isaiah 41:10, Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Zephaniah 3:17, The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.
12. I don’t love you anymore
The one thing we can be certain of is that God loves us. And you can hold onto that truth with both hands, no matter what is going on in the world.
Jeremiah 31:3, The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying; “I have loved you with an everlasting love: I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 8: 37-39, For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 John 3:1, See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God? And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.
1 John 4:19, We love because He first loved us.
John 15: 13, Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Psalm 136:26, Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.
Isaiah 43:1, But now, this is what the Lord says, He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel; “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by my name; you are mine.
What other things will you never hear God say? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
About Anne
Anne Peterson is a Christian poet, speaker, and published author of 15 books and numerous articles. She has written for Christianity Today, Today’s Christian Woman, as well as other publications. She has also written Bible studies for christianbiblestudies.com.
Currently she is a regular contributor to crosswalk.com, and a writer for their couples devotionals. Since 1995, Anne’s poetry has been sold through gift stores and online in both the U.S. as well as other countries.
Married for 44 years to her husband Michael, they have two grown children, as well as four grandchildren here and one in heaven.
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So love this message. Absolutely I would never hear God say these things and you, Anne, included so many scriptures about each one. Thank you, Dr. Michelle for sharing this. Please thank Anne for putting this together.
I sure will, Karen. When I heard Anne share this list with me, I knew I needed to have her share it.
This is so simple and obvious in many ways, but it was so good to read! Seeing it in black and white, the truth of those doubts that linger in the hidden places of our minds and hearts, made such a difference!
Rebecca,
I have to agree with you! When I first heard this list, I found myself thinking the same thing. But funny, how so many of us find ourselves thinking them from time to time.
These are so good! We are so quick to assume things about God that are actually our human way of thinking. Truly, HIS ways are so much higher than our own.
I’m glad you enjoyed this post, Bettie. Grateful that God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts.
thanks truth
You’re so welcome, Lynn.
I’m so thankful that we’ll never hear Him say any of those 12 things and that He is always faithful and always in control.
oh yes, me too, Donna! But they sure made me think!