I remember learning in Junior Church many many years ago, God answers
prayers with: "yes", "no", or "wait." I remember thinking, even as a
child, that these limited answers weren't fair. There were times in my
young life that I wanted answers right away, and of course, I wanted
those answers to be what I wanted. The idea of a loving God, answering
"no", just seemed wrong to me, and in my child-like faith, I remember
telling myself that God would never do that to me, that He would always
hear me, and always answer "yes" to whatever I was asking for. We are
told to pray with faith, after all, believing that God will answer us,
and that was the best I could do as a child to believe.
Growing
up a pastor's kid, I often saw a lot of disappointment. I was privy to
problems going on within the congregation, personal needs of those I
loved, prayers seeming to go unanswered, and very resounding "no"s
coming down from Heaven. I went to a lot of funerals as a young girl,
saw a lot of grief,
and sometimes it was hard to wrap my mind
around the "why" of life. I remember my Dad making it simple for me, by
saying: "We serve a GOOD God, and He doesn't do BAD things." I was
taught that it wasn't in God's character to do bad things, and if I
always believed Him to be good, He could never be bad.
I've
taken a few paths since those Junior Church sessions at Stockton
Springs Community Church. And though my heart still believes that my
loving God hears my prayers, I've often struggled with the understanding
that He doesn't always answer "yes" to my heartfelt requests. Life
brings pain, loss, confusion, grief, dark days that stretch into months,
and sometimes as Christians we wonder what God is doing, and how this
is all turning out for our benefit.
"And
we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to His purpose." -Romans 8:28
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11
"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning!" - Psalm 30:5
"To
all who mourn in Israel, He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a
joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair."
- Isaiah 61:3
These are
all promises laid out for us through scripture, promises that flow down
from a Good God, Who doesn't do bad things. So the question presented to
us then, is what do we do with the "no" answers…what do we do with the
pain…what do we do when everything within us is crying out for relief,
and we're answered with silence…
What has happened to our Good God in those dark times? Has He left us?
No.
Jesus tells us: "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." (Hebrews
13:5) He hasn't gone anywhere, and He's still good…so what then?
This
is the hard part for most Christians. Because this is where the rubber
meets the road, as it were. This is where our faith is put into action.
This is when life gets hard, and our earth is shaken, and we're broken
down to our knees…and we must respond.
This is when
all the promises you've ever held onto, must become the very air you
breathe, because anything else would mean death itself. God has answered
"no", but how you respond to that no will determine how you survive.
See,
as a child, I told myself that God was good, and He would never tell me
no. But I was wrong. My mind was so simple and incapable of reasoning
and understanding that sometimes…indeed, many times, God tells us no for
our own good.
God IS working all things out for good
for those that love Him…He IS with us everywhere we go…He DOES carry us
through the valley, and He DOES set our feet on solid ground…
But
sometimes He allows those valleys, He allows those pains and hurts to
come into our lives so that we can better understand Him, and His
infinite love for us. It's in those dark times that God's light is
revealed, and as His children, we must respond with faith…
We
must take His hand and follow Him, knowing that the path He is taking
us on is the best one, knowing that He will never leave us in a place of
sorrow…
Knowing that He doesn't do bad things.
Thank you, Michelle.
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