Over the years, I’ve had conversations with people where they said something to the effect of “God doesn’t listen when I pray.” This has to be a challenging feeling. However, further discussion has often revealed an underlying disposition – because God didn’t give me what I asked for, it must mean He’s not listening.”
One of the hardest words to grasp in any language is “no.” It is rarely the answer we are hoping for. A toddler asking for ice cream before dinner? You’ll ruin it. Guy asking a girl on a date? Definitely not the word he wants to hear. Do checked bags fly free? Hardly at all any more. “No” is associated with rejection, loss, limits, and exclusion. And no one likes feeling that way – not you, not me.
And, yet….sometimes it is exactly what we need to hear. “No” can be a protection. It can be a well-placed boundary. And it can be the assurance that what was supposed to happen, happened exactly as it was supposed to.
Consider Jesus the night before His crucifixion. In Matthew 26:36-44, Jesus goes to Gethsemane to pray. Three times it is recorded that He asked God to let this cup pass from Him (v. 39, 42, 44). The Roman Crucifixion was a well-known form of execution – and the Romans were good at it. They knew how to wring every ounce of pain and anguish out of the process. Jesus knew the horror that His earthly body was about to experience. He asked God for there to be another way…and each time followed it with “Your will be done.”
That night, God told Jesus “no.” And the next day, a pure and sinless Jesus paid the price for my sin, for yours, so that we would have the hope of eternal life. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:23)
So, when we pray, and we feel like God is telling us “no,” let’s keep in mind a couple of things:
- Just because the answer is “no” right now, doesn’t mean that will be the answer in the future. God’s timing is perfect. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 is a great illustration of proper times)
- Just because the answer is “no,” doesn’t mean that God can’t. (Isaiah 60:22 – I especially like how the New Living Translation renders this verse)
- God knows what we need better than we do, even before we ask Him. (Matthew 6:8)
May God’s “No’s” be a blessing in your life this week and an opportunity to grow in your faith in and reliance on Him.
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