When God Says No Part I

Most of us do not like being told no, especially if the no is to something we really want. Ironically we want the power to say no to others, but we don’t like to get that response to our requests. Over the past couple of years I can think of two NOS I received to requests I made to God, and I’m just now figuring out why I got them. This original blog was going to be about God saying no and about God delaying answers, but the more I prayed and reflected the more I understood why I received them. I was living in a place I loved, and I had to move. I prayed and prayed and asked God for an open door to stay, but the move happened despite nearly begging God to stay. Initially I was hurt, confused, and angry, but overtime I understood the no. I had to get myself and my son out of the neighborhood. Things had gone from sketchy to scary over time, and now I know we couldn’t have lived in peace or safety had we stayed. The second no was less serious yet very confusing. I had been planning to go on vacation with friends for almost a year. I made an initial down payment and was preparing to pay the remainder of the money when I heard a no in my spirit. I tried to pretend it wasn’t God speaking so I still prepared to pay the money. The NO was even louder, so I let it go. A few months later I tried to rationalize God’s no by saying I wasn’t supposed to go on the trip with the group, but surely I could still go on my own. No, ma’am. The answer was still no. This boggled my mind, especially since everyone else went without any dangers or other issues. Why had God said no? Because I hadn’t been tithing in months. It wasn’t until almost a year later that I realized that the money I was going to spend on a vacation was money I had been denying God (as commanded in Malachi 3:10), and sadly I was clueless for months wondering why I couldn’t go. A few weeks ago as I got back on track with tithing the non-existent trip came to mind, and the more I thought of it the more I realized that God was not going to open a door of fun for me while I wasn’t being obedient. And that leads me to what I have been learning over the past few weeks. God really does expect obedience. I can sing, praise, pray, and read the Bible all I want, but at the end of the day the question is always: Have you done what I told you to do? I’ve heard people ask why they don’t hear from God. I would venture to say that God is speaking to all of His children, but the real questions are “Are we listening?” and “Are we obeying?” Tough but necessary questions to answer honestly.