Anyone who is a parent or spends significant amounts of time with very young children (teachers, daycare providers, etc) can tell you that children ask for A LOT of things. Often times, however, what they ask for is either not in their best interest, or it could just be the wrong time. (ex: "Mommy, can I have a cookie?" "Not right now, sweetheart, I don't want you to spoil your appetite for dinner")
Likewise, though our Heavenly Father delights in providing for our needs and blessing us with good things, sometimes He may say "no" or "not yet" in response to one of our requests. When we're right there in the moment, we may feel like He has denied us something that we need, or we may wonder why "God isn't answering our prayers" (when in fact, He has, he just didn't give us the answer we want).
I've spoken with people who have been in a relationship with the Lord for a very long time, and one thing I've learned is that when God doesn't say "yes" to certain requests, it is actually a form of grace and mercy. When we're in the moment we often fail to realize that what we've asked for may not be what's best for us, or if it is a good thing, the timing may just not be right.
What about you? Can you recall a time in your past when you asked the Lord for something and He responded with "no" or "not yet", and you later realized that this was in fact a blessing?
I'll start. When I was 17 I met a young man who liked me and pursued me pretty aggressively. While we never entered an "official" exclusive relationship (I wasn't allowed to date until after graduating high school), we did spend a lot of time together in groups (and also a little time alone together -- bad plan) and talked a lot on the phone. I remember praying that someday soon I'd get approval from my parents to date this guy, because I liked him a lot. That approval never came, because my parents could see red flags in his character to which I was completely blind. I rebelled and accused my parents of being too strict. What was the big deal? He was a nice, attractive guy who liked me. I was eager to experience my first relationship, and I wanted it now. I wondered why God wasn't orchestrating this situation to work out according to what I wanted.
As it turns out, I later discovered some of the red flags that my parents had seen, and then some. I found out he had a drinking problem, had no substance to his faith (attended church but didn't actually believe anything) and I learned first hand that he had physically abusive tendencies. It took a life-threatening situation for me to finally understand that this guy wasn't as "nice" as I once thought. I ended that friendship/psuedo relationship and never looked back. I escaped a potentially horrible future and I was overcome with thankfulness as I later realized that the Lord was protecting me by denying my prayer request. Now, I'm engaged to a man who has a deep and genuine love for the Lord ...and for me.
Thank you Lord for saying "no"!
Likewise, though our Heavenly Father delights in providing for our needs and blessing us with good things, sometimes He may say "no" or "not yet" in response to one of our requests. When we're right there in the moment, we may feel like He has denied us something that we need, or we may wonder why "God isn't answering our prayers" (when in fact, He has, he just didn't give us the answer we want).
I've spoken with people who have been in a relationship with the Lord for a very long time, and one thing I've learned is that when God doesn't say "yes" to certain requests, it is actually a form of grace and mercy. When we're in the moment we often fail to realize that what we've asked for may not be what's best for us, or if it is a good thing, the timing may just not be right.
What about you? Can you recall a time in your past when you asked the Lord for something and He responded with "no" or "not yet", and you later realized that this was in fact a blessing?
I'll start. When I was 17 I met a young man who liked me and pursued me pretty aggressively. While we never entered an "official" exclusive relationship (I wasn't allowed to date until after graduating high school), we did spend a lot of time together in groups (and also a little time alone together -- bad plan) and talked a lot on the phone. I remember praying that someday soon I'd get approval from my parents to date this guy, because I liked him a lot. That approval never came, because my parents could see red flags in his character to which I was completely blind. I rebelled and accused my parents of being too strict. What was the big deal? He was a nice, attractive guy who liked me. I was eager to experience my first relationship, and I wanted it now. I wondered why God wasn't orchestrating this situation to work out according to what I wanted.
As it turns out, I later discovered some of the red flags that my parents had seen, and then some. I found out he had a drinking problem, had no substance to his faith (attended church but didn't actually believe anything) and I learned first hand that he had physically abusive tendencies. It took a life-threatening situation for me to finally understand that this guy wasn't as "nice" as I once thought. I ended that friendship/psuedo relationship and never looked back. I escaped a potentially horrible future and I was overcome with thankfulness as I later realized that the Lord was protecting me by denying my prayer request. Now, I'm engaged to a man who has a deep and genuine love for the Lord ...and for me.
Thank you Lord for saying "no"!
