When God Says "No"

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."

Isaiah 55:8-9

As humans, we cannot see what lies ahead in the future. We can assume or try to predict what might happen, but only God knows exactly what the future holds, for each and every one of us. His ways are far above our comprehension and His plan is perfect, even though at times it may seem the opposite. The world is constantly telling us "it's your life, do what makes you happy" and "to follow your heart" but those paths lead to destruction. You see, as Christians, we don't have a life to take control of because we gave our lives to Christ when we accepted Him as Lord and Savior. Oh and our hearts, though cleansed by the blood of Jesus, still have the potential to deceive and lead us astray. Many of us naturally want to operate by sight, not by faith; to have complete understanding and control of our lives. We don't want to wait for anything and think that we know what is best. It takes faith, trust, and humility to believe that God knows best and that we don't know everything; but we don't want to hear that. Our generation is so used to having access to anything we want, as quickly as we want, that we have a hard time accepting rejection. We then subconsciously, or consciously, carry that into our relationship with The Lord. I have heard some people say that God's answer is always "Yes" and "Amen." Well I do not know if they are talking about the God that I serve because He is quick to say "No" to me, if what I desire or ask for is outside His Will. I could tell story after story about times when I really wanted to do something, move on from something, quit, or go somewhere and God told me "No." They weren't necessarily "bad things" either, but He still said no. There are also countless stories in The Bible where God told people "No" and if He is the same yesterday, today, and forever then He still says "No."

God tells us no for a bunch of different reasons, but I'll just highlight a few:
1. To protect us from harm
2. To showcase His glory through the troubles that we are currently facing
3. To keep us available and in position for something greater
4. To draw us into a deeper relationship with Him
5. To discipline us
6. To prepare us for the future

One example of this is found in the life of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:

"So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

In the above passage Paul went to God 3 different times, asking Him to take away his affliction, but God said no. He had a purpose and a reasoning behind it, even though it probably didn't make sense to Paul. I'm sure He would have rather had a pain and problem-free life but God wanted to use the thorn to showcase His glory. He knew that the pain would keep Paul humble and keep him from becoming self-sufficient. As a result, Paul had no choice but to grow spiritually and mature in The Lord. His prayer life also deepened, as He leaned on The Lord to see Him through. 

"...I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow." 

Isaiah 48:17

Although sometimes it is hard for us to comprehend, God truly does know best. He has plans for our lives and knows which doors need to be closed, in order for us to stay focused and on the straight & narrow path. I know that sometimes when we really want something, or even someone, and God says "No" we can get so upset and frustrated. What we must realize is that we are looking at whatever it is from an earthly standpoint. Meanwhile God is looking at it from an eternity standpoint and can see the end from the beginning. We have to train and renew our minds to see things from God's perspective. He is not saying "No" to punish you, but to protect you. Either what you are asking for will bring harm or you just aren't ready for what you are asking for. Instead of complaining, we need to be celebrating that God loves us enough to keep us from things that could potentially knock us off course. He cares so much for our well being and doesn't want us having to experience unnecessary hurt, failure, or pain.

 "...I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime-until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you."

Isaiah 46:3-4

Matthew 7:9-11, “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” (NASB) - See more at: http://proverbs31.org/devotions/devo/when-god-says-no/#sthash.IVvJsNSS.dpuf

A few months ago there was this guy, who went to my church at the time, and it seemed like everyone around us was encouraging us to talk. So I went to The Lord in prayer and he said "No." Well that hurt my little feelings because in my mind I'm like "Lord, I have been single for so long and then when I do actually meet someone who is Christian and I find attractive and you say No. That doesn't make sense." His reply was "I have someone better in mind." Me being so caught up in what I wanted continued to ask Him over and over and over, until God pretty much removed Him from my life altogether. It's not that he was a "bad" guy or not a devout Christian, but only God knows the path that He has ordained for me to walk upon. Who knows what the outcome may have been if I had chosen to neglect to follow God's instructions to "Let it go." Who knows if I would have been able to fulfill all the plans that God has in store for me. It didn't matter how many people thought it was a good idea, God has someone else greater in mind. He didn't have to offer me a long explanation either, because He is God. There have been so many times when I wanted to take various job offers and God shut it down, sometimes before I even went to the interviews. I would sit there frustrated but later a better offer and opportunity would present itself and I was thankful that I was free to take the job. You do not know what is on the other side of God's "no." You may be settling for something or someone but God wants to take you higher and actually give you more. We have ask The Lord to help us trust Him and stop trying to figure things out in our mind, otherwise we will drive ourselves crazy. 

Here are a few Scriptures that help portray just how much God is thinking about us and wants to direct our steps. 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take."

Proverbs 3:5-6 

"How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand. And when I wake up, you are still with me!"

Psalm 139:17-18 

"For the LORD watches over the path of the godly..."

Psalm 1:6

The Lord literally sits in heaven and watches over us. He can see that car that almost hit us, but His angels blocked it. He can see that if we take that job, we will end up getting entangled in a legal battle. He can see that if we move to that state, we will end up going astray in our walk. He can see that if we become friends with that person, they will draw us away from Christ. He can see that if we go to that party, there will be a shooting. We have to remember that when we go to God in prayer to ask Him questions, we cannot have our own hidden agenda. We must be open to receiving His direction, whatever it may be. When we begin to truly trust God, we begin to see that He always has our best interest at heart. So the next time you seek The Lord and He says "No" do not get upset, but instead rejoice and give Him praise. He just saved you from something and is redirecting you to something or someone else that is better. If you feel like you are seeking The Lord and not hearing anything at all, remember that a delay is not a denial. Sometimes God will delay His answer to develop patience and persistence, and build our faith. The Lord wants to give you His best, but it takes waiting on Him, in order to receive it. Instead of going to Him with our own agendas, we must get into the practice of asking that His will be done above all else and not our own.

"May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven"

Matthew 6:10 

God is truly our Good Good Father. The very nature of God is goodness and perfection. He's always looking out for us and delights in answering our prayers. If we could just get ourselves out of the way and look at life through His perspective then we would see that His answers to our prayers are perfect, whether that answer is yes, no, or not yet. 

“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead?  Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him."

Matthew 7:9-11

If you take nothing else from this blog I want you to remember that:

God is GOOD

God is PERFECT

God is WITH YOU

God is for FOR YOU

God will NEVER LEAD YOU ASTRAY!

So instead of putting your trust in the creation (man, things, and this world), put your trust in the hands of the Creator. Our journey with Christ is not always going to make sense and we aren't always going to understand why God lets certain things happen, but if we trust Him we will see His perfect plan unfold.

I've been listening to this song by Hillsong United for the past week and it has helped me to remember that God is here with me!!! Enjoy!!

Until next time,

Cierra
xoxo

Me with Logan this past week.

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