When God Says No
Prayer is a wonderful privilege and a serious responsibility. It is wonderful to be able to talk with God and have Him answer us. As believers, we have that privilege. However, it is also a command that we bring our petitions to Him. He wants us to do that as an act of faith. Then, we are looking to Him for His will to be done. He wants us to ask for what we want, but to realize that we don't always get what we want.
What happens to you when God says no to your prayer? Do you get depressed? Do you get angry? Does it make you think there is no God? I have seen all of these reactions from people. I don't think any of them are proper responses to no. I believe they show that we have pride, or at least, we don't want God's will, but our own.
Now, this is how I see it. If I could ask God for anything I wanted, and He had to give it, then, I am God, and He is the servant. I would be calling the shots. He would only be the one to carry out my wishes. Please understand; that is backwards. It is not up to me to tell God what to do at any time. I go to Him in prayer to present the need and to share my heart. I go humbly to Him, because He knows all, and He never does the wrong thing. I may boldly ask Him to meet my need, but it is always with the understanding that He does what is right in His eyes. That is what I want. I want Him to tell me no, if that is best. I hope we can all see this reality, because it makes a lot of difference in our prayers and our contentment.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Nahum and Revelation 14.
What happens to you when God says no to your prayer? Do you get depressed? Do you get angry? Does it make you think there is no God? I have seen all of these reactions from people. I don't think any of them are proper responses to no. I believe they show that we have pride, or at least, we don't want God's will, but our own.
Now, this is how I see it. If I could ask God for anything I wanted, and He had to give it, then, I am God, and He is the servant. I would be calling the shots. He would only be the one to carry out my wishes. Please understand; that is backwards. It is not up to me to tell God what to do at any time. I go to Him in prayer to present the need and to share my heart. I go humbly to Him, because He knows all, and He never does the wrong thing. I may boldly ask Him to meet my need, but it is always with the understanding that He does what is right in His eyes. That is what I want. I want Him to tell me no, if that is best. I hope we can all see this reality, because it makes a lot of difference in our prayers and our contentment.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Nahum and Revelation 14.