Last week, I shared about getting two significant no’s tossed into my lap. Yesterday, a friend told me she got a big no as well and she didn’t know how to process it. It was over something that she had been thinking about and praying about for a few months, something she thought God might be in. And then a human being told her no, she couldn’t do it.
Let me first say that I don’t know too many people who brighten up when told no. In fact, most of us start bristling at that word around the age of two, and start bucking against it around that time as well.
But seeing as no is a part of life, there are three things that I tell myself when it happens that help me, sometimes just a little, to enfold it into my life and keep walking.
First, God can and does speak through and lead through other people. So, perhaps, even though it’s hard to hear, someone’s no just might be God’s no.
Second, let’s just say that person was wrong.You’ve been told no over something that God intended to be a yes.A, I firmly believe that my willingness to do whatever God wants in that situation will go a long way and B, if I’m being held back from a God thing by someone else, well, I’m about to get down on my knees so the sweeping arm of God’s justice misses me and spiritually knocks the no-giver in the metaphorical noggin.Meaning, God will deal with this person if they kept me from doing a God thing and I don’t think it’ll be pretty.
And third, this was a deep heart revelation that came to me after a season of praying with my husband about internationally adopting.I was on board.On board doesn’t fully describe it.I had been looking at waiting child lists, knew where I wanted us to adopt from, figured where the child would sleep, et cetera, et cetera.We spent some time talking and praying and he came back with a no.A no that broke my heart like no other no had ever done.And as I began the grieving process, God’s spirit spoke to mine as plain as day, “If you think he is able to thwart My plan for your life, than you’re giving him way too much credit and Me not enough.”Whoa…I had so needed to hear that.
So when the no’s come, and they will keep coming, I will remind myself that God is bigger than all of them put together, and I just need to keep a willing, clean, yielded heart before Him and let Him worry about the details.
