This post is a follow-up message from Pastor Ben's sermon entitled "Drawing Near to a Holy God". [Watch video]

Often quoted are the words of the Rollings Stones, “You can’t always get what you want.” Now the Rolling Stones are certainly no font of godly wisdom, but these words are certainly true. Even sometimes in our experience as Christians we don’t get from God what we want. This can take many forms. We pray for God to do things for us. We want a relationship repaired, a sickness cured, a job hoped-for.

But when God doesn’t give us what we want, what does that say about Him? In Psalm 99 we saw the refrains, “Holy is He,” “Holy is He,” and “Holy is the Lord our God.” One thing we know about God—He is Holy! That means He possesses absolute moral perfection, and is therefore completely separate from all of creation, including us. And, he never changes in this absolute moral perfection.

The application of God’s holiness is our holiness. We are to “be holy as He is holy.” It is what we need, and it is what we are to pursue. It is our identity, our destiny. God always wants what is best for us, and His best for us is our sanctification. Everything God does is absolutely morally perfect, including everything He does for us.

When you don’t get what you want, remember this: 1) He is still holy, and 2) He is still to be worshipped. Nothing of God ever changes, only we and our “wants” change.

The full refrain in the Rolling Stones song is this:
“You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometime you find
You get what you need.”

Hmmm…wise words from the Rolling Stones?