Does God Say No?
Lately, we have seen a lot of sadness around us. Many afflicted with sickness; plagued by stress (home/work); financial burdens difficult to bear… and with all these things, our faith literally “attacked” by the devil.
I was speaking with someone just the other day who told me about his friend, whose wife had just been diagnosed with cancer. As you can imagine, they are both frightened and genuinely afraid of how things are going to turn out.
I asked if they were Christian. Did they believe in God and the glorious healing power of our Lord? His response startled me, “Yes, but even they know, God sometimes says no.”
Okay, that one threw me for a loop. I never knew he had these thoughts nor even considered God in this way.
We know God does, most definitely, have the power to heal the sick; give sight to the blind; hearing to the deaf; and solace to those suffering.
We also know it is He that brings goodness and grace into our lives at times we’re not even aware.
Let’s skip the healing thing for just a moment and talk about whether God actually does say no.
My friend, giving his best effort, quoted Jesus’ teachings when he spoke about His words in Matthew:
Matthew 7:7-8 – “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
A little taken aback, I responded to him (as the Spirit moved me) with these three questions:
Given? Given what?
Given what you’ve asked for or what God wants you to have – what you need?
Find what?
Find what it is you “want,” or
what it is that God has in store for you – your purpose?
Opened? Opened for an opportunity
that you are seeking or where God wants you to go – your path?
I don’t recall anywhere in Jesus’ words in Matthew where He says, “given exactly what you’re looking for or what you want!”
We need to remember; God will give us everything we need and not necessarily what we want. The sad part about it is, we often don’t recognize what we’ve gotten and, therefore, forget to give thanks for what we “have” received.
2 Thessalonians 1:2-3a – “Our God gives you everything you need, makes you everything you’re to be. You need to know, friends, that thanking God over and over for you is not only a pleasure; it’s a must.”
I’ve said this before and I know it sounds strange to you but, to me, it is the best way of identifying what God is trying to give to me or tell me.
“Close your eyes and see the glory of God! Stop listening (ways of the world), and hear what God is saying to you! Open you hearts to God and feel The Holy Spirit filling you with His graciousness!”
We must concentrate on feeling His presence; hearing His word; and trying our best to interpret His message to us no matter how subtle it may seem.
In order to better understand our relationship with God and the fact that He may indeed say no, we need to understand Him a little better and who we are to Him.
Who Is God?
God seems to have many names given to Him by mankind in the old testament:
El Shaddi – Lord God Almighty
Adonai – Lord, Master
Jehovah Raah – The Lord my Shepherd
Jehovah Rapha – The Lord that Heals
If we make our way back to the old testament and recall the encounter Moses had with God on Mount Sinai, God told him, very clearly, who He was…
Exodus 3:14a – “I Am Who I Am.”
So Moses asked what he should say to His people…
Exodus 3:14b – “I Am has sent me to you”
Exodus 3:15 – “God also said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’”
“’This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.’”
Well, there you have it! God is “I Am!” But, for me, He is God… a God; the Most-High God and, therefore, I shall call Him God!
Who Am I to God?
So now that we know who God is, now let’s take a moment to try and better understand what we are to God.
We Are Loved
John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Who, in this day and age, would make such a sacrifice?! As God did this for us, how much more does it take to understand how truly Loved we are?!
We Are His
John 3:1 – “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
We belong to Him and, in belonging to Him, we stand above all the others that don’t know Him as we do!
We Are Worthy
Zephaniah 3:17 – “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
No matter what we’ve done; how bad we’ve been or how many times we have sinned… we have been forgiven/saved! As long as we profess our Love and belief in Him, He will rejoice over us and walk beside us!
We Are Purposed
Jeremiah 29:11 – “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
Now that we see how much we mean to God, we have to also understand that His Love comes with a purpose. We are here to do His will. Let God teach us what our purpose is and accept it with open arms and give thanks!
We Will Not Be Afraid (365 Times!)
Isaiah 43:1b – “‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.’”
There it is again, “You are Mine!” He knows our name and he has redeemed us. With a God that Loves us as He does, what reason(s) do we have to fear?!
In Jesus Christ
As children of the Most-High God, we must never forget the sacrifice He made for us as He sent His only Son… to save us; to redeem us; to save us from ourselves.
With the sacrifice of His Son, how much more has God displayed His Love for us?!
No Longer in Darkness
Ephesians 5:8 – “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.”
Before knowing and accepting Christ, we walked in darkness. We were unaware and afraid as were others around us but, In Christ Jesus, we have entered into “The Light” and, furthermore…
We Are the Light
Matthew 5:14 – “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Not only have we entered into “The Light,” but we have become that light in His name that we might provide the same opportunities provided to us, to others as well.
We Have Been Chosen
We’re not done yet… we have a mission! We have spoken, fairly often, about how this world is falling apart and the evil, hatred and wrong doings that are going on.
Get Ready!
Revelation 17:14 – “They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”
You see what it says there in Revelation? “His called…” that’s us! God says no to us when He knows it will take away from who and what we’re meant to be. We’ve got a very important job coming up.
So, When Does God Say No?
Okay, you might think I’ve been skirting around the question: “Does God say no?” The only answer I can give you is, yes… but with purpose!
Inky Johnson: College football player with high aspirations of making to the NFL and freeing his family from poverty.
- Believes in God.
- Career-ending injury.
- Never Lost his faith – and others saw.
- “Son, I need to talk to you.”
- Brought his father to God
God said no to the career he wanted but, instead, saved his own father from sin and provide him the opportunity of eternal life.
Watch Inky’s Story Below
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In Conclusion
Does God say no? Absolutely… but understand the reasons why! He already has a plan for us. He already knows what each day will bring and He will protect us from that without even asking.
Trust our Father’s actions. Understand what else, when you think He has said no, He may have in store for your life. You’ve heard how much we are Loved and how much we are His… why then would you even think He would ever do us anything but good?
Keep your faith; believe in His Grace; Love your God every day and give thanks for all you have and all you are yet to receive… He Loves You!
Go with God; be good to one another; always stay humble; always be kind… God Bless (Amen)