Don't Tell Me "No!"
Raise your hand if you like being told, “No.”
Whether it be from asking for something, requesting to do something, or whatever… Being told “No” doesn’t feel good. Why? Because it isn’t the answer WE wanted. We wanted a “Yes!” That’s why we requested or asked the question in the first place. And from a human standpoint, we want a “Yes” 99.9% of the time.
Now, what about when God tells us “No”?
Oftentimes we think God is trying to keep good things from us when we ask Him for something, or request something of Him, and He tells us NO. Our pride and vision of the outcome is so narrow that we cannot see what is ahead. We can’t see what is on the other side of the “Yes.”
I don’t know about you, but there have been many times after I have asked God for something and He told me “No” I sulked. I complained. I was sad… But then fast forward to hindsight and I later thanked Him later for saving me from myself and what I wanted.
Ever been there?
Just me?
The outcome of His “No” produced greater joy, because His “No” produced something that would not have happened if He had told me “Yes.”
And mind you, sometimes we can BEG God to give us what we want. We can nag Him over, and over, and over again.
For us as parents or having worked with children, we have all experienced this. For us, the kids wear us down and we cave. We change our “No” to a “Yes” because we’re tired of being nagged.
Now, before you think you can wear God down, you might as well strike that from your mind. If that were so, humanity would have done that a long time ago. However, sometimes God gives us what we ask for to teach us a greater lesson. Sometimes from choosing to not place our faith in Him, He then hands us over to the destruction that we are wanting.
Did you catch that? It’s NOT what HE wanted, but what WE wanted.
So no. We cannot blame God when the outcome of what WE wanted is destruction because we couldn’t see the outcome of our nagging.
We see this in 1 Samuel chapter 8 when Israel is BEGGING to be like all the other nations around them in asking for a king. They wanted a human king. They wanted to look like, be like, and have the same thing that the other nations had. They wanted to be like all the “cool kids.”
In their nagging would say, “But all the other nations have it? Why can’t we?????”
They had rejected GOD as their King for an earthly king and God warned them that this was not a good idea. Destruction would come to them if they chose an earthly king over their Heavenly King.
Yet did they listen? No. They begged all the more.
So God gave them over to what they wanted to SHOW them that when they choose their own way over God’s way, it produces bad consequences.
Fast forward to 2 Samuel chapter 7. David has finally succeeded Israel’s first earthly king, Saul, is living in a lush cedar house. He’s enjoying the lifestyle of kinglihood. But then one day David realizes that the Ark of the Covenant doesn’t have a nice lush house to dwell in like he does, and he gets this GREAT idea! HE is going to build God an amaaaaazing house to dwell in!
Sounds like a great idea, right?
David was probably already designing it in his mind. He had the curtains picked out, the ornamental decorations planned. His idea was GRAND! He was going to do something INCREDIBLE for God.
And what was God’s answer to David plans?
“No. You are not going to build me a house.”
Imagine how deflated David must have felt. He had a GREAT idea he had just presented, and God said “No.”
We’ve all been there. We know the feeling. We know that sinking feeling in our gut when someone doesn’t say yes to what we are presenting, requesting, or asking.
BUT - BUT!!!!!! Don’t forget the BUT!!
GOD, the CREATOR of the UNIVERSE, the God who had brought Israel OUT of Egypt, the God who had established David’s throne had an even BETTER plan in store!!
Don’t miss this!!! And here is what God said to David starting at verse 5 in 2 Samuel chapter 7 (emphasis added):
5“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ’
8“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over MY people Israel. 9I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. 10And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11and have done ever since the time I appointed leadersa over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.
“ ‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: 12When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. 15But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me b ; your throne will be established forever.’ ”
God told David “No.” Not because He wanted to deflate him, but because HE had something even better! God was telling David about His son Jesus. He was explaining, “While you think you have a nice and lovely plan, I’m going to blow you out of the water with MY plan.”
In my Life Application NIV Study Bible notes it says:
“Accepting God’s no requires as great a faith as carrying out His yes.”
David had to place his faith in God’s no to him. David had to trust that while he thought he had this grand and beautiful plan, God’s plan was even GREATER and He had to place His trust in what he couldn’t see. And this is what we call FAITH.
Has God recently told you “NO” to something that you need to accept and place your faith in Him about?
Hearing “No” can be very hard.
HOWEVER.
BUT.
HOLD ON BEFORE YOU FREAK OUT.
God is not keeping good things from you. He is saying, “Who will you trust? Your plans? Or MINE? Because MINE are soooooo much greater! You just have to TRUST Me in this.”
“Accepting God’s no requires as great a faith as carrying out His yes.”
