Hearing No from God
When the answer isn't yes.
What to do when you prayed for one thing and got another.
The big idea
God's no is sometimes the most loving answer he could give.
What does “Hearing No from God” walk through?
My Grace is Sufficient
2 Corinthians 12:9 · KJV
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
In plain English
He said: my grace is enough for you. My strength shows up best in your weakness.
Paul's Thorn
Paul prayed three times for God to remove a 'thorn.' God said no. Paul lived with it the rest of his life. And he became more useful to God in the no than he ever would have been in the yes. Not every no is a punishment. Some are protection.
Higher Ways
Isaiah 55:9 · KJV
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways.
In plain English
My ways are as far above yours as the sky is above the ground. Trust me with what you don't yet understand.
“God's 'no' is sometimes a 'yes' to something you can't see yet.”
Trust the No
Looking back, most of us can name a prayer we're glad God didn't answer the way we wanted. Try to remember that on the next 'no.' He's not withholding. He's redirecting.
Pray
Father, when the answer isn't yes, help me trust your no. You see what I can't. Lead me where you know I should go.
Write it down
Has God ever said no to a prayer that, looking back, you're grateful he denied?
You finished: Hearing No from God
The God who loves you sometimes answers no. That's not him being distant. That's him being good.
Which passages does this journey use?
2 passages, drawn from 2 Corinthians 12:9, Isaiah 55:9. Every verse appears here in the King James text with a plain-English line beside it, so you can read it without a commentary open. Allow about 5 minutes for the whole thing, or 6 short sittings.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9
- Isaiah 55:9
Read any of these in full on the complete KJV, or look the wording up independently at Blue Letter Bible.
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