Handling God’s nos

Today my family and I were reminiscing about my dad who passed away last week. 

One thing that came up was something my dad had told me when I talked with him about an accident he had had that left him blind.  He said,

I started talking to God…but because I was doing all the talking, I wasn’t hearing God.  Then the Bible verse that says “be still and know that I am God” came to mind.

So I started listening rather than talking and that Sunday night I think God spoke to me because the next morning I told Lianne (my mother) this is what I heard:

Everybody has been praying for a miracle that I get my sight back, but [while] God said that would be a miracle He could do, He would give me a greater gift. 

He said that instead of restoring my sight, he would give me a new heart filled with love, compassion, and mercy.

My dad never did regain his sight in his lifetime, but he did receive that new heart, just as God had promised him.

As I look at this passage, Moses also had to deal with God’s “no” in his life. 

Because of Moses’ sin at Meribah (Numbers 20), God told him, “You will not enter the promised land.”

Here, Moses recounts how he pleaded with God to let him go, but God specifically told him, “That is enough.  Do not speak to me anymore about this matter.”

Moses could have pouted.  He could have complained.  He could have said, “Well if that’s how it is, I won’t follow you anymore.” 

But he didn’t.  He continued to faithfully serve God, and he prepared Joshua to become the leader of the Israelites after him.

There are people that say, “If you ask God for anything, he has to say yes.  You just have to have enough faith.” 

But here, God completely squashes that idea. 

There are times when God, for his own reasons, says no. 

In the case of Moses, it was because of his sin.  In the case of my dad, it was because God had another miracle in mind for him, the miracle of a changed heart.

The question we need to ask ourselves is, “How will we respond to God’s nos in our lives?” 

I pray that I would respond as my dad did and Moses did. 

Both of them were disappointed with God’s decision. 

It was truly my dad’s desire to see again, even to the day of his death. 

It was Moses’ desire to enter the promised land. 

But when God said no, they both continued to serve God faithfully.  

How about you?

Lord I thank you for the story of Moses.  I thank you for the story of my dad. 

Lord I don’t always understand why you say no to me.  But I trust you that your way is best. 

Lord, through your yeses and nos in my life, may I always be faithful to you.  As Moses was.  And as my dad was.  In Jesus’ name, amen.