If you might be a Christian and have been walking with God, there needs to be a time that you would be able to recall when God told you no. It is probably the most unsettling feelings that may leave you questioning all the things. We imagine that God is sovereign and that he’s omnipotent, so there’s nothing that is just too hard for him to do. We also imagine his words within the bible that tell us that we must always make all our requests and supplications known to Him. What will we then do after we take our request to God and He says no?
Recently, a friend, fellow author and hardworking daughter of God passed away suddenly. When our church got the news that she needed prayer, we did what God had told us to do, we prayed, and fasted, after which prayed some more. We believed that the God of all miracles would heal her. We believed that nothing was too hard for God to do. Our prayers were that of religion and full confidence in God and his ability to do the unattainable. But she passed away. It felt like our prayers were in vain. It felt like God didn’t hear them. It all just seemed really unfair. In our opinion, this shouldn’t have been the end result.
My only comfort was going back to the book of Job. In chapter 38, God responded to Job’s concerns about why he was under attack. Reading through the chapter isn’t one among comfort, but one that offers perspective. God asked Job where he was when the earth was being created; if he’d ever commanded the morning since he was born; had he command the rain to fall, amongst many other questions. The point being made is that our finite mind cannot comprehend the infinite complexities of the universe.
It jogged my memory that even when making requests to God, I would like to do not forget that there’s a lot that I do not know. And it’s for this reason ‘not knowing’ that it’s hard for me to be upset at God when he says no, only for the easy incontrovertible fact that I wasn’t there when he created anything, or when he organized this world. Who am I to make demands with the limited knowledge I actually have? And even when I make demands, do I actually have the fitting to be upset if that was not the answer that God had?
I still don’t understand why God does what he chooses to do, but I do know his heart is nice. I do know that He continues to be merciful and gracious. Because if we’re honest, we usually are not good and we do not deserve anything good. We are sinful and the reward for sin is death – but God has forgiven us and reconciled us to Him, so we now have life through him. Even after reconciliation, we still sin and switch our backs on God but every day he forgives us. In Psalm 8:4, David was reflecting on God’s creation and afterwards asked “What is man that you just are mindful of him?”
The world is a lot larger than our perspective. There is just too much for anyone man to know and we now have to trust that God’s plans are well done even when we do not see it that way. John the Baptist, after spending his life to organize the way in which for Jesus, asked him if he was the Messiah when he was in prison and about to be beheaded.
There are times in our lives after we query why or what God is doing but do not forget that we cannot all the time understand but we will trust him. When God says no and we do not understand, we must always trust his heart and his character – he’ll deal with us.
In memory of Victoria Richards, fellow international author. May her work proceed to bless others.
