Saying no is not an easy thing to say to someone you love and care for. The word hurts not only the person to whom it’s spoken to but also the person who speaks it. Parents know the pain of saying no to a seemingly good request by their children. It’s not always easy for the children to understand that a no by their parents in most cases is driven by the greater good. The same thing happens in our relationship with God.
When we pray we know that God can respond with one of three answers; No, Wait or Yes. It’s not everything we ask God that He grants us and a number of times He says No even to seemingly good requests. A good example is when King David wanted to build God a temple only for God to send him a prophet telling him no. David was lucky He got an explanation why but it is not all circumstances where God will explain himself. We just need to trust him. It is not always easy to understand why God would say no to some good requests. Faith in God means trusting him even when we cannot understand fully the reasons behind his no.
We must believe that He does it for our greater good. When God says No to something we desperately need, we must have faith in his judgement. When God delays in something we think is urgent, we must have faith in his timing. Many times we want God to fit in our situations when God’s response to everything is always driven by the greater good. When we resign to him as our Shepherd what we mean is – not my will Lord but yours be done! Where are you feeling let down by God? Where are you tempted to feel God did not care enough for you?
It’s time to embrace and thank him for his judgement today even when you can’t figure out why! I don’t know how but all I know is that it all things work out for our greater good!
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”” Luke 22:42 NIV
