No. Sometimes the answer is flat-out, N-O. It can be devasting and hurtful—especially when the “no” is coming from God. And sometimes in anguish, we cry out, “B-b-but Your Word says, you will give me the desires of my heart if I…” (this used to be my go-to line😂).
And after all your crying and fussing and negotiating with God, the answer is still… You guessed it, friend! The answer is still NO. And God doesn’t and won’t budge.
It doesn’t matter what the “thing” is that you want so badly. It could be a relationship. A new job. A promotion (at least). An appeal for healing. A prayer that a relative will finally get off drugs and be restored to the family.
But what happens when God closes the door on what you want? Do you become angry and resentful? Do you give God a laundry list of all the things you “try” to do right? Or do you have a pity party and tell God that He’s unnecessarily mean and unfair to you?
Most people are ashamed to admit that they get mad at God—our Father—the very Creator of the universe and all that is living. But truth be told, that’s exactly what happens. We get mad at God. But there are lessons in God’s “NO’s.” And that’s where we must settle ourselves, right inside the lessons.
Lesson #1: KNOW that God is God.
The first thing you have to know, friend, is that God knows and understands what you want and why you want it. And due to His ability to know the end of all things before they occur, being omniscient and all, His “no” is often a protective measure for us when our wants don’t align with His will.
It’s like when you have kids, sure you want them to be happy, but would you allow them to eat nothing but Reese’s peanut butter cups just because it makes them happy? No vegetables. No fruit. No protein. Just Reese’s? You most certainly wouldn’t.
In the same manner, God will block certain things in your life that He knows will take you off the path He has placed you. We may be happy at the moment, but in His infinite wisdom, He knows that the relationship that makes you happy right now will end in utter destruction several years from now. Or that the new job you interviewed for is going to take you away from your family too much, which will ultimately wreak havoc on your personal life.
We won’t always know the reason and reason doesn’t even matter. All that matters is that we KNOW He is God and that His response to our prayers is rooted in His divine knowledge of us and all the other facets of our lives. Psalm 46:10, NKJV states, “Be still and know that I am God.” We must practice being still.
When our prayers for things or situations don’t align with His will, He says “no” and closes the door, even if we stand on the other side kicking, screaming, and banging. To “know” is to have confidence in God. Even though we may feel that He doesn’t understand, we can be confident in the fact that He does get it. And His answer is based on His loving care for us.
Lesson #2: TRUST that God is not out to Get You.
It may feel like God is being mean. But He isn’t. Solomon taught us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV.
I don’t know about you, but my “own understanding” has gotten me into a heap of trouble over the course of my life. I made a horrible financial decision 15 years ago, even when I had received a warning in my spirit from the Lord. The people at the company I was dealing with seemed caring and supportive, and not only that, they seemed to have my best interest at heart. But a few years later, my decision turned into a financial mess!
God saw past all the smiley faces and all the coercion. He knew I was emotionally vulnerable. He warned me, but I didn’t listen. If I had depended on the “no” nudging from God, I could have avoided the mess.
God wants to direct us so that we don’t make decisions that hurt us. There is no way we could ever know exactly how something we do is going to turn out. But God does.
God is sometimes directing you in a manner that will lessen the blows of life, although admittedly, He does allow us to experience some storms for our refinement. We must trust God’s direction. He sees our lives from our first breath until our last. He knows all the things that are going to happen in between.
It’s like wearing a blindfold and allowing God to guide you through a land mine. He knows where all the problem areas are. He knows that one bad move could lead to emotional or mental destruction. Take it from me (a person who has stepped on a whole lotta land mines 😂) LET GOD LEAD YOU!😍
We must trust Him with everything: our wants, needs, disappointments, and fears. We have to bring these things to God’s feet and lay them there and LEAVE them there. This may have to be done more than once (especially if you are like me who tends to take stuff back and try to work it out myself, mess it all up, then give it back to God to fix😭). God wants to be our everything because He is our everything.
Trust shows confidence in Him. You can be confident in the God who created the universe and who sustains you, breath by breath, minute by minute. What reasons do you have to doubt Him? It’s okay to admit doubt—just write it down, even if this seems ridiculous to you. Write all the reasons you have to doubt God and take that to Him too.
Lesson # 3: KEEP YOUR FAITH
Once we know God and trust Him, it is easier to stand on our faith when times get tough. That doesn’t mean that you will be on a full tank of faith every day. What it does mean is that your foundation will be built on faith. And sometimes, foundations need to be reinforced. Notice that Scripture tells us in Ephesians 6:11, NKJV, Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
If you read down a bit farther from verse 14 through verse 17, you will find out that your armor outfit includes a shield of faith. This shield protects us from the enemy’s fiery darts.
And if you haven’t learned this yet in life, I’m going to share a little secret: one of the main ways the enemy tries to push us out of our faith square is with doubt. Hey, it worked on Eve, and he’s been at it ever since.
Doubt chokes our faith. But if we continually renew our minds and faith every day by praying, seeking the Lord, and speaking His Word back to Him, we can reinforce our foundations and get through the rough patches of life.
Faith in God will remind you of Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. We love to quote it, but we often act like we don’t know it (Aren’t you just loving my rap bars?)😍.
Scripture cannot be something we just say. It has to be lived. Even if we have to be like the desperate father in Mark 9:24, who said, “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.” He wanted healing for his son who was possessed by an evil spirit. He acknowledged that his faith was a bit shaky, but he did have SOME faith. God can do a lot with our little. He is in the multiplying business. I said earlier to take everything to Him and place it at His feet—that includes your faith—no matter what level of faith you have. Let God give you what you need.
A broken heart from God is future GLORY.
Until next time, Keep GROWING YOU. GOD’S WAY. 😍
I really enjoyed the illustrations in this article!