What Happens When God Answers NO.

What is your reaction when God seems to answer “No” to your requests?

This week has been full of conversations with women who seem to be getting a  “No” from God despite their earnest prayer.

They’ve asked for:

• extra work to help ease financial hardships
• restoration for a crumbling marriage
• unity in a divided ministry
• physical healing for a loved one
• deliverance from a person who’s bent on making their life miserable
• tenderness in a rebellious child’s heart
• relief from criticism or ungodly attacks from people who should know better

Have you ever asked God for something and it seems He is silent?

I have.

When this happens we seem to choose one of two routes:

We either “try harder” by praying harder or making a decision to be in the Word a little more, as if God will deal a little more favorably with us if we “do” certain things correctly. We assume that we can cajole God into changing His mind about a situation.

Or we handle life our own way and become hard-hearted toward God and others. We die just a little inside because we’ve held on so tightly to what we wanted– what we believed would make us happy.  If we aren’t careful we can become ensnared by anger, bitterness, or a quest for revenge.

Unfortunately, we tend to kick and scream inside like toddlers when life doesn’t go our way.

Did you know that EVEN Jesus prayed for something and God denied his request?

Yes, in Gethsemane, when Jesus was dreading the pain of the cross, and feeling real heartache and sorrow, he prayed for deliverance. Just like us, He physically felt ill.(His body reacted by sweating drops of blood.) He understands and cares when we dread a situation or when we desire something so much that we physically feel it.

And yet Jesus perspective was different:

“Yet not my will be done, but Thine.”

And since Jesus lived a sinless life and yet prayed for deliverance from the cross, and God still said NO to Him, we see that God says no to painful situations for a purpose.

Our suffering is never without purpose. 

The purpose is that through our sorrow or through our deliverance,

either way,

that God be glorified

and that he accomplishes good toward us.

So whether God answers your pleas for deliverance,or He chooses to you allow you to go through your fiery trial,whether He answers in the way you want or not,the purpose is still the same: To do good.

God said NO to Jesus in Gethsemane for YOUR good.

And what we want should never be SO big in our mind that we are unwilling to let God change us through an unpleasant circumstance. And as you hold loosely your own desires, and pray for God’s will in your life, and trust Him with the rest a strange thing happens:

Our dreams and desires change.

What we once thought would make us happy,

the thing that we once thought unthinkable, unpleasant and undesirable,

the thing we begged for or begged for deliverance from

becomes **teeny-tiny-small** compared to our overwhelming desire for God to perform what will be best for us, according to His will, as He deems best.

And also know that our job to glorify God is hindered when we react sinfully to painful situations. When we choose revenge, fear, worry, wrath, pride, promotion, whatever our sinful choice du jour, we are hindering our own growth and damaging our spiritual walk.

I know it’s hard during times of trials, but for your own good and for God’s glory, CHOOSE a soft heart towards God. Don’t choose bitterness! If God convicts you of some wrong doing on your part, don’t overlook it or dismiss the Holy Spirit(quench). Don’t dismiss and downplay your own sin. Harshness and bitterness do not become the gospel or your Christian testimony. A cynical Christian is not a person who understands the grace and forgiveness of God, and therefore will not extend grace and forgiveness to others. You are made ineffective because of your own choice to sin.

Choose to trust that God is good. That if He did not spare His own son for you, than He will only do what is good for you for the rest of your life, whether it feels right or not at the moment.

And remember that His grace is sufficient for us– able to help us to do right and to think right so that our hearts will BE RIGHT before Him.

In the same struggle with you today, dear sisters, and praying for you as you press on towards greater love for God and others!