Accepting God’s No
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:20
Lately I have read a lot about why God says no. None of us like it. We want God to say yes and from that yes we’d really love smooth sailing. He’s God after all. Can’t He just make it easy? No, He can’t. That’s not technically true, because of course He can. He chooses not to for our good. When God says no, as harsh as that may sometimes seem, it is always for a reason.
For the past several months I have been making the same request of God over and over and over. It isn’t for wealth or power or influence. It is a simple request, one that the Bible supports. In fact what I am asking for is highly recommended in Scripture. So why, oh why, oh why does God keep saying no? I have no idea. Quite frankly I am beginning to get aggravated and frustrated, which I heard in a teaching a few days ago is referred to as the sin of Jonah. That made it a bit easier to see, the whole I want what I want when I want it but honestly what I want is a good thing. This by the way, makes me continue to question the no.
This morning I was reminded of the story of Joseph. First he garners the hatred of his brothers, then those brothers sell him into slavery. Just when things are looking up, when things are getting a little bit easier, Potiphar’s wife accuses him of some really nasty behavior and that lands him in a dungeon. Through all of that I’m pretty sure Joseph was praying. I think it would be safe to say that while some of his prayers were answered yes a lot were answered no. Ultimately Joseph was able to save the lives of his treacherous brothers. Later still the children of Israel would have to be delivered from Egypt where they had become a nation of slaves. Life then, as now, has its ups and downs, it’s yeses and nos.
Joseph’s life is a perfect illustration of why God says no when He says no and yes when He says yes, because, as we read in Jeremiah 29:11, He knows what He has planned for us.
I want a yes, dearly and bordering on desperately. Perhaps in time I will get one but for now I will focus on the message I heard for the bijillionth time while reviewing the story of Joseph. Attitude is everything. While being sold out by his own brothers, in shackles and a neck iron, while being falsely accused and even put in a dungeon, Joseph believed that he was beloved of God. He knew that his heavenly Father was especially fond of him. That belief allowed him to maintain an attitude of trust. They say attitude reflects leadership. In never losing sight of who he was following Joseph was able to keep an attitude that kept him in tune with God’s plan. That’s the best attitude to have.
Lately I have read a lot about why God says no. None of us like it. We want God to say yes and from that yes we’d really love smooth sailing. He’s God after all. Can’t He just make it easy? No, He can’t. That’s not technically true, because of course He can. He chooses not to for our good. When God says no, as harsh as that may sometimes seem, it is always for a reason.
For the past several months I have been making the same request of God over and over and over. It isn’t for wealth or power or influence. It is a simple request, one that the Bible supports. In fact what I am asking for is highly recommended in Scripture. So why, oh why, oh why does God keep saying no? I have no idea. Quite frankly I am beginning to get aggravated and frustrated, which I heard in a teaching a few days ago is referred to as the sin of Jonah. That made it a bit easier to see, the whole I want what I want when I want it but honestly what I want is a good thing. This by the way, makes me continue to question the no.
This morning I was reminded of the story of Joseph. First he garners the hatred of his brothers, then those brothers sell him into slavery. Just when things are looking up, when things are getting a little bit easier, Potiphar’s wife accuses him of some really nasty behavior and that lands him in a dungeon. Through all of that I’m pretty sure Joseph was praying. I think it would be safe to say that while some of his prayers were answered yes a lot were answered no. Ultimately Joseph was able to save the lives of his treacherous brothers. Later still the children of Israel would have to be delivered from Egypt where they had become a nation of slaves. Life then, as now, has its ups and downs, it’s yeses and nos.
Joseph’s life is a perfect illustration of why God says no when He says no and yes when He says yes, because, as we read in Jeremiah 29:11, He knows what He has planned for us.
I want a yes, dearly and bordering on desperately. Perhaps in time I will get one but for now I will focus on the message I heard for the bijillionth time while reviewing the story of Joseph. Attitude is everything. While being sold out by his own brothers, in shackles and a neck iron, while being falsely accused and even put in a dungeon, Joseph believed that he was beloved of God. He knew that his heavenly Father was especially fond of him. That belief allowed him to maintain an attitude of trust. They say attitude reflects leadership. In never losing sight of who he was following Joseph was able to keep an attitude that kept him in tune with God’s plan. That’s the best attitude to have.
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