When God Says “No”

I haven’t met very many people who enjoy hearing “no” to their requests. Especially when we are convinced that our request is reasonable! “No’s” hurt our pride, our sense of justice, and our ability to control the world around us.

 

When God says “no” to our prayers, we can be sure He does it for good reason! We have a hard time believing that truth. But if He is God and we are not, then we can be assured that He has a bigger perspective and a better plan than we do. 

 

God sees more and He knows more. We have to remind ourselves of that over and over again. Because the moment I focus on the thing that I need to happen in my life, I forget how small my perspective is in comparison to God’s. 

 

We are stuck in time—God is not.

We are stuck in our mind—God is not.

We are stuck in a body—God is not.

 

God knows everything and sees everything. Often when He says “no” or “not yet”, He does so because He knows that a “yes” answer might make us happy for a moment but it wouldn’t be the best.  

 

We have to remember that God’s plan is always what is best for us or for the entire world. He is working things out. He is bringing as many souls into heaven as possible. He is pushing back darkness and shining the light. But sometimes that means that what we think is best, is not actually what is best. 

 

God’s plan is to grow us and make us look more like His Son, Jesus. Jesus was perfect and sinless. He brought healing and life to everyone He came into contact with. If we are to become more like Him, we are going to need God to say “no” to us sometimes so that we can grow up.

 

Right now, our world is upside down in so many ways. And we may not see it or understand exactly how, but God is at work. It feels like many of our prayers are getting a “no” or “not yet” answer and we are so frustrated and angry. Like a child who stomps her foot when told “no”, we are doing our fair share of foot-stomping right now.

 

Are you frustrated, angry, or depressed with the state of our world right now? You’re not alone! All of these emotions are normal in a time when all of our normal routines have been disrupted. But if you stay there, you will find more and more reasons to be frustrated, angry and depressed.

 

Instead, give God permission to say “no”. 

 

Now, I understand that God doesn’t need your permission. But giving permission means giving up control. And many of us think we still have control. The last thing we want to do in an uncomfortable situation is to release the last bit of control that we have (even if it is only an illusion of control). But until you let it go, you haven’t fully let Him be God.

 

When we finally let go, we will discover that the thing we have been holding onto has only kept us from holding onto His hand. And once we are fully in His hands, we can be assured that He will take care of us. He always does. His way is always the best.

 

Andrew Cromwell 

Lead Pastor at Koinonia Church