Trust the NO
How many times have we prayed in earnest and received a no answer. Like the children we are, we at the worst throw temper tantrums and at the best we, disappointedly, go on hoping that God knows what He is doing.
After all, didn’t Jesus Christ say that whatever we ask in His name it will be given? John 14:13-14, Matthew 18:19, Mark 11:24 et. al. The problem arises from taking it out of context. Ok. So we understand that we must ask and believe that we will receive it. A faith issue. Again more context must be observed. In these verses, Jesus Christ was telling us how we would be empowered to do God’s work and not our own.
Does God want us to ask Him for all things? Absolutely. Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes it is wait, and sometimes it is a flat NO. We rejoice in the yes, we hope in the wait, but the no is hard.
James tells us we ask for the wrong things. James 4:3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
As a father, too often my answers to my kids and my wife were an automatic no. Why? Because I was selfish most of the time. I didn’t want to share my time, energy, and or limited resources. I regret this. There were times my no was for their benefit, but not often. I also would get angry when my “no” was either challenged or if I was asked for a reason. Again, not my proudest moments.
But God, the creator of everything, is not selfish. It is ALL His anyway! He has no motive. His whole purpose for us is good. Not our extremely minute and limited understanding of good, but His good. He knows the future and certainly knows what is best for us. It is what He desires. So when He says No, that No is so much more reliable and trustworthy than any other answer. It is easy to be glad when the answer is yes. It is a little harder when the answer is wait, but still it offers hope which gives us strength. But when we are told to be anxious for nothing, and the rent is due, we have sick family but minimal or no insurance, we are trying to get pregnant, a loved one is seriously ill, etc., the No is hard to understand when we are applying for a good job with good benefits, our loved ones die or become debilitated, a pregnancy does not occur or fails, and many other valid reasons for asking.
So what comfort do we get from the “NO?” How can we trust it? Part of believing and faith is trusting that God, who exists outside of time, sees what we cannot. Proverbs 12:14 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end leads to death. Our Father wants us to live. Romans 8 says that He makes all things come together for our good. Whose good? Ours. God is absolute! He is omniscient, omnipotent, and omni-present. He truly does love us. He is the source of love and He pours it out on us. So when he says No, it is disappointing, and under suffering and dire circumstance, it can be devastating, but trust, truly trust, that His No, is the only correct answer.
After all, didn’t Jesus Christ say that whatever we ask in His name it will be given? John 14:13-14, Matthew 18:19, Mark 11:24 et. al. The problem arises from taking it out of context. Ok. So we understand that we must ask and believe that we will receive it. A faith issue. Again more context must be observed. In these verses, Jesus Christ was telling us how we would be empowered to do God’s work and not our own.
Does God want us to ask Him for all things? Absolutely. Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes it is wait, and sometimes it is a flat NO. We rejoice in the yes, we hope in the wait, but the no is hard.
James tells us we ask for the wrong things. James 4:3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
As a father, too often my answers to my kids and my wife were an automatic no. Why? Because I was selfish most of the time. I didn’t want to share my time, energy, and or limited resources. I regret this. There were times my no was for their benefit, but not often. I also would get angry when my “no” was either challenged or if I was asked for a reason. Again, not my proudest moments.
But God, the creator of everything, is not selfish. It is ALL His anyway! He has no motive. His whole purpose for us is good. Not our extremely minute and limited understanding of good, but His good. He knows the future and certainly knows what is best for us. It is what He desires. So when He says No, that No is so much more reliable and trustworthy than any other answer. It is easy to be glad when the answer is yes. It is a little harder when the answer is wait, but still it offers hope which gives us strength. But when we are told to be anxious for nothing, and the rent is due, we have sick family but minimal or no insurance, we are trying to get pregnant, a loved one is seriously ill, etc., the No is hard to understand when we are applying for a good job with good benefits, our loved ones die or become debilitated, a pregnancy does not occur or fails, and many other valid reasons for asking.
So what comfort do we get from the “NO?” How can we trust it? Part of believing and faith is trusting that God, who exists outside of time, sees what we cannot. Proverbs 12:14 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end leads to death. Our Father wants us to live. Romans 8 says that He makes all things come together for our good. Whose good? Ours. God is absolute! He is omniscient, omnipotent, and omni-present. He truly does love us. He is the source of love and He pours it out on us. So when he says No, it is disappointing, and under suffering and dire circumstance, it can be devastating, but trust, truly trust, that His No, is the only correct answer.
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