{On My Heart} Mondays. [When God says No]

The phone rings and I answer it, to hear a dear friend's voice saying, 

'Are you busy? Can we talk?' 

I know this means she needs to talk about something. As she shares what's plaguing her heart to me, I cry with her when needed and share her pain. 

The door has closed on a situation she so desperately wanted to walk through. That boy didn't return her feelings, she struggles with feeling she will never be with someone. Dreams and prayers are answered. But not in the way we expected. 

When God says No....it can be extremely painful.

We don't understand everything He does. His knowledge is infinitely greater than ours, after all He created us. Not the other way around.

“The temple I am going to build will be great, 

because our God is greater than all other gods.

But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, 

even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? 

Who then am I to build a temple for him, 

except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?

{2 Chronicles 2:5-6}

He knows all things about us, He knew us before we were even born (Psalm 137). 

There are things in our lives we all want. Whether it is a relationship with a guy, a specific career, a  calling to go and serve in Africa, a baby.....I'm sure you know what your dreams and desires are. We are reminded in scripture that if we delight ourselves in Him, love Him with all our being....our desires line up with His will for us. We long to see things which He longs to bring about here on earth. 

‎"Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, 

the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. 

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him…" (Psalm 37:5-7a, NIV)

So what happens when God answers our prayers of desperation with a 'Not right now, Child' or a solid 'No.' This is extremely hard for us, we don't see the whole picture as He does. He knows our desires and what we long to see fulfilled in our life. He knows what is not His best for us, even if we think it looks good. Sometimes that guy turns out to be not as wonderful as he first seemed. But it is usually in hindsight that we are able to see this. At the time, we don't understand, we are crushed and we sometimes feel ourselves pulling away from the Lord because we didn't like His answer.

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror;

 then we shall see face to face. 

Now I know in part; 

then I shall know fully, 

even as I am fully known.

 {1 Cor 13:12}

So how should be act during these trying times, when 'No' or 'Not now' is what we are hearing from the Lord.

We need to remember truth, even though we might be feeling pretty crummy. But the truth is that the Lord is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8) just because He has said 'No,' does not mean He is not still good. He is good whether our situation is one of joy-filled delight or one of absolute sorrow. We don't understand everything going on in our lives, and we won't. He asks us to trust Him regardless of our circumstances.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
   and he will make your paths straight.

{Proverbs 3:5-6}

I came across an excerpt written by Charles Swindoll about David's character and how he responded when the Lord answered him with a 'no'. We read in 1 Chronicles 28 about how he desired to build a temple to the Lord. A dream which he longed to see completed in his lifetime. The verse above in 2 Chronicles 2 is part of the chapter where the temple is built. However David was not the one who saw it into completion, but his son Solomon. How did David respond to this? This was his dream right!! But read that again....it was his dream, not the Lord's. 

Praise God when our dreams do line up with the Lord's. When we are seeking after Him & following Him, praise Him that we do see those dreams and desires become a reality. But we are sinful people, our dreams and desires are not always in line with God's plans. Even those which at first glance seem really good and godly. 

Because even though we want good things, we don't have the knowledge He does about the whole situation.

His ways are perfect, not ours.    

At the end of his life, David chose to focus on all that God had allowed him to do in his lifetime. 

David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,

   “Praise be to you, LORD,
   the God of our father Israel,
   from everlasting to everlasting.
Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power
   and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
   for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, LORD, is the kingdom;
   you are exalted as head over all.
Wealth and honor come from you;
   you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
   to exalt and give strength to all.
Now, our God, we give you thanks,
   and praise your glorious name.

 “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? 

Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.

{2 Chronicles 29:10-14}

Here is a man who was not bitter toward the Lord for not seeing a dream fulfilled. He chose instead to focus on how gracious the Lord was to him. He understood the Lord's character in ways I can hope I will someday. Here was a man known for being after the Lord's heart who still heard a 'No' from God.

He realised that it was not the Lord's plan for him, but for his son. He is not jealous or bitter. He is full of praise and admiration for the Lord's goodness.

So in those moments, we need to chose to remember His sweet truth.

To remember that He loves us. He knows what is best for us, not ourselves.

As it says below in Isaiah, when we wait patiently on the Lord 

we shall renew our strength. 

We will wake up and feel content soon. These feelings of desperation of dreams shattered will fade, when we look to Jesus. 

He is the same always.

 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;

 they shall mount up with wings as eagles; 

they shall run, and not be weary;  

and they shall walk, and not faint.

{Isaiah 40:31)

   

Every good and perfect gift is from above, 

coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, 

who does not change like shifting shadows.

{James 1:17} 

We can totally trust Him with those dreams.

Let us remind each other of this truth in those moments of sorrow.

No matter how He answers, It will be 

Good.

Much Love,

L 

{P.S. For those of you that know me personally, the pictures in this post are no way related to the girl mentioned in the post}