Sept 13, 2026 - The Gospel of Luke - Week 19 - Are You THE One

As a pastor, and I have been pastoring for 25 years, which is insane to think about, but for 25 years, pastoring and sitting with people, praying with people, walking into situations that I had no clue about, praying for certain things, seeing God do stuff, praying for other things, and nothing happens.

That is a tension that I walk with and I struggle with as a believer.

As a believer, I have been in the car or the boat that's headed to this place where one time God answers in a very specific way that I asked him to for a family situation.

Another time we're praying and we're praying and we're praying and nothing.

And I don't know that if you've ever had time to slow down enough to think about that tension, but it's not easy.

And when you live in a culture that's constantly deconstructing or whatever the phrase is of the hour that's causing people to go, I no longer believe, I think this conversation is important to be able to have.

And I'm very thankful that the scripture introduces us to this.

The scripture does not hide this concept from us.

And I hope that by the time we walk away together, we'll be able to have some tools, I would say, to walk away with if we need to.

I don't know for you all, if you've been in that tricky spot where you have watched God do for somebody else the very thing you need him to do for you.

I don't know if you've been in that spot when someone else gets the healing or someone else, their kid comes home Or someone else has their marriage or relationships restored.

Or someone else has a door opened by God that maybe you've been praying for.

Christian testimony can be both good and difficult.

Because we're supposed to be like really excited, right? We're supposed to be, I'm so glad, brother.

I'm so glad, sister, that this happened for you.

But over on the other side, in your heart, you're going, God, what about me? I told you this would be real.

We're going to be real.

It's a real tension.

It exists.

It's hard to put words to, feelings to sometimes when you think about it.

God is caring, right? Like my struggle isn't that God is caring or powerful, right? It's off the table because why? I just saw God care and be powerful for somebody else.

So the God caring and God being powerful part, that's kind of off the table.

And now I'm left to wrestle with, why haven't you done the thing I think you can? This is a little more difficult question than going, well, God, I don't think you exist, right? This is, I've seen your power.

I've seen your love.

but you've done it for other people and not me.