🕊️ PRAY HERE Devotion 🕊️ “When God Says No!”

Scripture: Isaiah 55:8–9 (KJV)

Verse 8: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.”

Verse 9: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Devotion

HAS GOD EVER TOLD YOU NO?! 😩🙏🏽 And let me ask you something else. HOW DID YOU RESPOND TO THAT NO?! Whewwwww! Because sometimes we pray, fast, cry, and BELIEVE God for something, only for His answer to be NO! MY, MY, MY! And sometimes that No is because God has something better for us. Other times, what we’re asking for is simply NOT THE WILL OF GOD! We don’t always understand why He won’t allow something, change a situation, open a door, or give us what we’ve been praying for. But here’s what we must remember: JUST BECAUSE GOD CAN DO SOMETHING DOESN’T MEAN IT’S HIS WILL TO DO IT! OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 🙌🏽🔥

And before somebody starts thinking that God only says No because we lack faith, LET’S LOOK AT THE BIBLE! Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking His Father if the cup could pass from Him. Yet He surrendered, saying, “nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). God’s plan for our salvation required Jesus to go to the cross! Then there was Moses! After pleading with God to let him enter the Promised Land, God told him, “speak no more unto me of this matter” (Deuteronomy 3:26). WHEWWWWW! In other words, MOSES, MY ANSWER IS NOT CHANGING! 😮‍💨 And what about Paul?! He pleaded with God THREE TIMES to remove the thorn in his flesh. But God answered, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). MY, MY, MY! GOD DIDN’T REMOVE THE THORN, BUT HE PROMISED PAUL THE GRACE AND STRENGTH TO ENDURE IT! Sometimes God’s answer isn’t deliverance FROM the situation, but sufficient grace to carry us THROUGH it! 🙌🏽🙏🏽

Now, let’s read today’s Scripture together! In Isaiah 55:8–9, God reminds us that HIS THOUGHTS ARE NOT OUR THOUGHTS, AND HIS WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN OUR WAYS! WOW!!! 🙌🏽 SO THAT EXPLAINS A LOT! We don’t think like God! We don’t know everything He knows! We can’t see everything He sees! We see what’s happening RIGHT NOW, but God knows what lies ahead! And because we cannot see the entire picture, sometimes His instructions and answers look, sound, and feel CRAZY to us! 😩 We may be praying for a door to open, not realizing that walking through it could take us somewhere we were never supposed to be. WE SEE WHAT WE WANT, BUT GOD KNOWS WHAT WE NEED! And sometimes those are two completely different things! WHEWWWWW! 🙌🏽🔥

So let me ask you again. WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE WHEN GOD SAYS NO TO YOU? Hmmmmm? 👀 Do you get angry? Stop praying? Question whether God loves you? Or do you begin trying to make something happen that God has already told you No about?! PLEASE DON’T LET YOUR DISAPPOINTMENT TURN INTO DISOBEDIENCE! And here’s something else. You can be disappointed and still have faith! You can cry and still trust God! Jesus Himself expressed the weight of what He was facing in Gethsemane, yet He submitted to the Father’s will. SO BE HONEST WITH GOD! Tell Him you’re hurting. Tell Him you’re disappointed. Tell Him you don’t understand! BUT DON’T ALLOW YOUR FEELINGS TO BECOME GREATER THAN YOUR FAITH IN HIM! OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 🙌🏽

And when God says No, REMIND YOURSELF WHO HE IS! He is the same God who created the heavens and the earth! The same God who parted the Red Sea, raised the dead, and made a way when there was no way! HE HAS NOT LOST HIS POWER JUST BECAUSE HIS ANSWER WASN’T WHAT YOU WANTED! Whewwwww! 🙌🏽 Instead of spending all your time asking God to change His answer, begin praying for the strength to accept His will. Acknowledge His wisdom, His power, and His faithfulness! LORD, I KNOW YOU CAN, BUT IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO, HELP ME TRUST YOU ANYWAY! That’s faith! Not just believing God can give us what we ask for, but trusting Him when He chooses not to!

So today, I want to encourage somebody who is struggling with God’s No. STOP LOOKING AT EVERY NO FROM GOD AS SOMETHING NEGATIVE! Sometimes His No is protection. Sometimes it’s redirection. Sometimes it’s correction. And sometimes we simply won’t understand the reason on this side of heaven. But GOD’S GOODNESS IS NOT MEASURED BY HOW MANY TIMES HE TELLS US YES! His love doesn’t disappear when He denies a request, and His wisdom doesn’t fail because we don’t understand His decision. GET OUT OF YOUR FEELINGS AND INTO FAITH! Surrender your plans, yield to His ways, and trust that His will is greater than your desires! IF GOD SAYS NO, I STILL SAY YES TO HIS WILL! HALLELUJAH TO OUR LORD! 🙌🏽💙

✍🏽 Reflect & Respond

1. Have I ever struggled to accept God’s No because it wasn’t the answer I wanted?

2. Am I still trying to force something to happen that God may be telling me to release?

3. Can I trust God’s wisdom and goodness even when I don’t understand His decision?

TODAY’S QUESTION:

CAN GOD TRUST ME TO REMAIN FAITHFUL WHEN HIS ANSWER IS NO?

Today, take that disappointment to God. Be honest about how you feel, but ask Him to help you surrender your will to His.

DON’T JUST TRUST GOD WHEN HE SAYS YES. LEARN TO TRUST HIM WHEN HE SAYS NO! 🙌🏽🙏🏽

🙏🏽 Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for knowing what’s best for me, even when I don’t understand Your decisions. Lord, forgive me for the times I’ve allowed disappointment to weaken my faith. Help me accept Your No without questioning Your love or goodness. When Your answer isn’t what I want, remind me that Your wisdom is greater than mine. Give me the grace to endure, the strength to obey, and the faith to surrender my will to Yours. LORD, WHETHER YOUR ANSWER IS YES OR NO, I STILL TRUST YOU! In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen. 🙏🏽💙

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