When God Says “No”

Has God ever said “No” to you?  I mean have you ever asked God for something and He hasn’t granted it?  Sure, that’s happened.  Who hasn’t asked for it not to rain for a special outing but it still pours like ‘cats and dogs?’  Or who hasn’t needed rain badly, and asked for it repeatedly, but God allows the drought to continue.  There are many times we ask for things and God’s answer is to not give them.  Most of the time those things are something we desire, but in the grand scheme of life, they aren’t too important to us.  But has God ever said “No” to something that your soul longs for, maybe even as much as you desire life itself?  This dream, this desire, this yearning may be a lonely person’s desire for a relationship, a barren woman’s desire for a child or a sick person’s desire for healing.  The list of those all-consuming dreams could actually be very long.

We follow Jesus.  We love Him.  We trust Him.  We serve Him.  And though we’d never articulate these words, in our hearts we often believe “He owes us,” and we can’t even imagine why He wouldn’t grant us what we ask for.  Yet we ask Him for it repeatedly and the continued answer is a firm “No.”   Maybe there even comes a time when we hear God clearly tell us, “The answer will always be ‘No’; I’m not changing my mind on this one.”   Either way, at some point the reality sets in, God is saying no to our dream or desire. 

Have you ever been there?  Have you heard God say “No” to an intense longing in your heart?  I dare say most of us have—maybe all of us.  When that happens I believe we are faced with two possible responses.  The first is we can doubt the nature of God, His character and even His identity.  I think this is what happened to John the Baptist in the times of Jesus.  Remember he was the one God sent to prepare everyone for Jesus’ coming.  John announced Him and then pointed Him out.   But after John had been imprisoned for some time he sent word to Jesus, “Are you really the one or do we need to wait for another?”  So this man who had been so convinced Jesus was God’s Savior, now doubted.  Why?  It doesn’t tell us for sure but I believe it was because Jesus wasn’t doing what John thought He should.  Maybe John thought Jesus was going to raise an army and attack Rome; so many Jewish believers thought like that.  But maybe what he thought was that Jesus should have released him from prison.  I have a feeling John had been praying for that, but God continued to say “No.”  So, somewhere along the line, John began to doubt the very nature of Jesus.   “Are you the one?  Are you the Savior?”

When God says “No” to that which means so much to us, our tendency is to entertain thoughts that God doesn’t love us or that God isn’t who we think He is.  We begin to doubt the nature of Jesus, His divinity and His love for us.  Our inner, natural man begins to whisper to our hearts, “If God really loved you, He’d answer yes.”   Or, “If Jesus really was God, He’d say yes.  Maybe Jesus isn’t really who you think He is.”  And then like John, we begin to ask, “Jesus, are you the one or is there another?”

But there is another path we can take in the face of God’s “No” answer to our desires.  We can choose to trust Him.  We can choose by faith to still believe and know that God loves us and cares for us, and we can surrender that longing or desire to Him.  I used to think of this as me putting my desire or dream in the pantry storage room and leaving it there; but always knowing that one day God could still choose to go in, get it out, and give it to me, somewhat like He did for Abraham when he took his son Isaac, and with every intention of his heart surrendered him to God.  God gave Isaac back to Abraham in part because Abraham trusted and loved God enough to surrender him.

You may be asking, “How do I do that?  It’s so hard to lay this dream down?”  Do you remember what Jesus told John?  “Blind people receive sight. Disabled people walk. Those who have skin diseases are made ‘clean.’ Deaf people hear. Those who are dead are raised to life. And the good news is announced to those who are poor.”  Here’s what Jesus was saying to John, “Take your eyes off yourself--your expectations, and even your desires--and look at who I am and what I’ve done.  Look at me—not your unanswered expectations.”  That applies to us too.  When God says “No," and we hear the whispers in our soul that God doesn’t love us or maybe that He isn’t who we thought he was, look at what you do know.  Look at the cross of Jesus.  For God so loved you that He sent Jesus to be your Savior.  The cross is the apex of God’s love for us.  Look at the resurrection of Jesus, for it is the concrete proof that God loves you and that Jesus is God.  Then look around today.  See what God is doing.  See the lives He’s changing and the hearts He’s transforming.

Jesus’ last words to John were, “Blessed is anyone who does not give up their faith because of me.”  Don’t give up your faith, your confidence, and your love for Jesus because He says “No” to your heart’s dream.  I know that doesn’t help with the pain that goes with God’s “No” to our desires, but it will help us trust in Him.  It will help us surrender our longings to Him.  It will help us stay faithful and be filled with faith, even when we don’t understand.  Charles Spurgeon once said, “God’s too good to ever be unkind; He’s too wise to ever make a mistake.  So if you can’t see His hand you can trust His heart.”  Don’t let God’s no’s derail your faith.  Trust Him.