He said “No”. I don’t
always handle that well. I kept praying
and praying…hoping I could get Him to change His mind. But every time His answer was “No”.
I had been contacted to see if I would serve on a team in the
spring for a women’s retreat. I love
doing things like that, so when the phone call came my immediate answer was
YES…but then I followed my response with the words I knew I better say, “But
let me pray about it before I give you my final answer.”
That’s when I began hearing the Lord’s answer and I didn’t like
it. I kept reminding Him that it was
something religious I wanted to do so I couldn’t understand why in the world He
wouldn’t let me participate. It wasn’t
like I wanted to spend a weekend bar hopping or gambling my money away. I would do my best to serve Him with whatever
job I was given during those days and do it for His glory. But no amount of conniving or trying to make
deals with the Lord made a difference.
His answer was still “No”.
I reluctantly called the woman back and told her that I couldn’t
serve because the Lord said no. I didn’t
know why but I have learned from experience that the disappointment of having
to say no is easier to handle than not following His will for my life. The woman was very understanding and agreed
that I needed to listen to the Lord’s response.
This made me think about the fact that my children didn’t always
get what they wanted from my husband and me as they were growing up. They often thought they knew what they
needed, but because we were older and more knowledgeable, we knew that what
they thought was best, really wasn’t the best thing for them. This didn’t always go over well with them and
at times, they felt like pouting was the thing to do to show us their
displeasure with our answer. All that
usually did was reinforce in our minds that we were right…they weren’t ready
for that for which they were asking.
I’ve heard adults complain that the Lord never answers their
prayers…but I often wonder if the problem is that He isn’t answering…or they
aren’t listening because they aren’t getting the answer they desire. They may be like me and think that they know
best and so when His answer isn’t what they want to hear…they just quit
listening. Prayer is such a vital part
of our relationship with the Lord, but I think that too often our time is just
spent giving Him our “To-Do” list. We
think He should do this or that…in our timing…and with our expected results. When He doesn’t answer then with the criteria
that we have given Him, we just say He isn’t speaking to us, and let’s be honest…
we often go off and pout. And I have to
wonder then if that doesn’t just reinforce in the Lord’s mind that His answer
was correct…we really weren’t ready for that for which we were asking.
I still have no clue as to why the Lord told me no…but I’ve
decided to accept His answer and trust that He knows best. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He
is much more knowledgeable than me and so maybe what I think is best…really
isn’t the best thing for me. If I’m not ready for it…I really don’t want
it…so I will wait for His timing and His will to unfold and trust that His
“To-Do” list is exactly what I need!
“Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t
try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen
for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s
the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t
assume that you know it all.
Run
to God! Run from evil!
Your
body will glow with health,
your
very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor
God with everything you own;
give
him the first and the best.
Your
barns will burst,
your
wine vats will brim over.
But
don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline;
don’t
sulk under his loving correction.
It’s
the child he loves that God corrects;
a
father’s delight is behind all this.”
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