WHEN GOD SAYS “NO”
INTRODUCTION: We don’t like to be told ‘no’. When we ask for something and the answer is ‘no’ we feel rejected and deprived. We walk away frustrated or sad. It can take the wind right out of our sails. Sometimes a ‘no’ answer will cause us to want to throw in the towel and call it quits. What about when God gives us a ‘no’ answer? I think we can go through the same set of emotions and responses; maybe even more so because it’s coming from God. Cable TV mogul Ted Turner, who criticizes Christianity, said he had a strict Christian upbringing. He even considered becoming a missionary at one point in his life but he said he became dissatisfied with Christianity when, despite his prayers that she would get well, his sister still died. Unfortunately, a response like this is all too common. Let’s look at some examples where people had a proper response to being told ‘no’.
1) Jesus said ‘no’ to the man from Gerasenes. Mark 5:18-20. [set-up] The man pleaded and begged Jesus to take him with them. It made sense. If I had just gone through an experience like this I wouldn’t want to be away from Jesus for a second. Jesus saw this man’s eager desire to be with the one who just healed him. I’m sure it was hard for Jesus to tell him no, but he did. Why? Because there was a greater purpose in him staying behind. Jesus said yes to the demons because putting them in the pigs and having them run down the embankment served a purpose. He was willing to leave the region when the people asked him to because he wasn’t going to stay where he wasn’t wanted. Now, he told the man delivered from possession no because it served a purpose to have him stay there. If he went with Jesus he would have a testimony but how much greater an impact that testimony would have on those who knew him as a demon possessed man. Not only that, but by staying behind the people could see not only an initial drastic change but an ongoing one. They would be able to be convinced that the miracle wasn’t a fluke but a permanent healing. So how did the man respond to being told ‘no’? He did what Jesus told him to do. He saw that Jesus’ will was more important than his own. And what was the result of his willingness to accept his ‘no’ answer? “And all the people were amazed”. It would be interesting to know the rest of the story and see how many of the people that didn’t want anything to do with Jesus came to believe in him through the example of the miraculous conversion of the demoniac. The Decapolis means “ten cities”. That’s quite an area. Word got around. Matthew 4:25 says that large crowds from the Decapolis followed him. I’m sure part of the reason for that was this man being obedient to what Jesus told him to do. Because he was willing to respond positively to Jesus denying his request, many people from his region went from being fearful to being followers. We can do great things when we are willing to trust in Jesus’ wisdom and follow his instructions.
2) The Father said ‘no’ to Jesus in the garden. Mark 14:32-36. Jesus was facing the most gut-wrenching mission in history. He was to about to pay the price for the sin of mankind. Nothing anyone could ever go through would be weightier. As he agonized over this realization, he asked the Father that if there was any other way for the world to be saved, let it be done. Who could blame him? Jesus wasn’t abandoning the mission. He wasn’t caring more about himself than the world. That’s not what’s going on here. How did he end his prayer? The same way we should end all our prayers: ‘yet not what I will, but what you will’. And God’s will was to tell his Son ‘no’ and have him go to the cross. This was how it needed to be done. And Jesus accepted that. We need to lay down our will for the sake of God’s. We will never be able to accept a no answer from God and continue to carry out his plans if we are not willing to surrender our desire to see our will done for the sake of his. Bobby Richardson, a player for the Yankees, once offered up this brief but spot-on prayer, “Dear God, Your will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Amen.” We might be in a situation that is painful to endure. We may find ourselves going through something or seeing the writing on the wall and as we anticipate the inevitable we pray for God to deliver us from the situation. Let me escape the pain. But can we finish it up with-but if that is not permissible, I accept it? If it be your will that I must suffer then I do it without wavering in faith and duty. That’s what Jesus did and we know whatever trial we may face pales in comparison. But we’re not without help. Luke 22:42-44. “Angels came and attended him”. The Father knew that his ‘no’ answer was going to be troubling to his Son. He sweated drops of blood such was his anguish. So what did God do? He sent angels to strengthen his Son. That’s what he will do for us. When we receive a no answer from God we will receive strength to be able to press on as Jesus did. When God says ‘no’ he won’t leave us without remedy.
3) Jesus said ‘no’ to Paul regarding the thorn. 2nd Cor. 12:7-10. [Speculations about what the “thorn” was-physical issue (poor eyesight), temptation, reminders from his past as a persecutor of the church. Not sin-Jesus wouldn’t want sin to remain, plus Paul would not boast in it (9)]. Whatever it was, Paul pleaded with Jesus to remove the torment from this demon. It’s interesting that Paul pleaded three times before he got an answer-and the answer was ‘no’. Why didn’t Jesus give him this answer after the first pleading? I don’t know. But we do see the reason for the ‘no’ answer. Jesus told him no for two reasons: one was so he didn’t become conceited (7); the other was because Paul needed to understand something about grace (9). It’s like Jesus is saying, “my grace is enough for you; you don’t need to have this affliction removed for my approval. You don’t need to have this removed in order to continue to be effective. I’m saying ‘no’ because you need to accept your weakness so you can recognize how perfect my power is.” Paul came to understand that Jesus' grace was sufficient, Jesus' "no" answer was sufficient, and Jesus' purpose was sufficient. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly...for when I am weak, then I am strong. There’s a quote that goes, “When God chooses not to use His power to alleviate the pain, trust in God’s power to see you through the pain.” Jesus will say ‘no’ if it is in our best interest to do so. And it’s in our best interest to accept it when he does.
4) God said ‘no’ to David. 1st Chron. 17:1-20. (1-2): David had a noble idea-he wanted to build a house for God. He couldn’t bear to see himself in a fine palace and God in a tent. Nathan thought it was a good idea too. But just because it is a good idea, even a spiritual one-doesn’t mean God will automatically go ahead with it. (3-6). Nathan was a little presumptuous. He wasn’t exactly in tune with God on this one. Sometimes we do that don’t we? We come up with a good idea and we prematurely put God’s stamp of approval on it. God makes it clear that if he wanted David to build his house he would’ve told him to. But since he hadn’t it wasn’t his will for David to do it. David’s heart was in the right place but his timing wasn’t. Sometimes we can have the same problem. Sometimes we want something so badly or we want it to happen right now that we don’t wait for instructions from God we just go. We may have good ideas but what if they aren’t God’s will for us? What if we want to accomplish great things in life and we go forward without getting God’s input first? I guarantee it won’t go very well for us. This is part of keeping in step with the Spirit. When we “run ahead” of the Spirit with our good intentions we find ourselves out of step with Him and that’s never good. Our timing and priorities need to be in accordance to God’s will. Notice how God “lets David down” easy when he tells him ‘no’ (7-15). God reminds David that he has done great things through him and that he has been with David all along. God lets David know that he will continue to do great things through David. David would be instrumental in providing security and rest for God’s people. God lets David know that his desires will be fulfilled through his son. And David was to be a part of the process 1st Chr. 28 talks about David drawing up the plans for the temple and giving them to Solomon. David accepted his role. He wasn’t going to be able to do what he wanted but he would have a part. What about us? If we have it in our heart to do something a specific way or play a certain role and God says, “No, I have a different part for you” are we willing to accept it? Will we be content with having a part to play or will we only be satisfied if we get to play the part we wanted to play? David’s discouragement could be alleviated by knowing God was still with him just as he always had been, he still has a plan and purpose for him just like he has been doing all these years and that his current idea would happen, just not right now. God will do that for us too. When he needs to say ‘no’ or ‘not right now’ he wants to “let us down easy”. He assures us that he’s not rejecting us and that he still has important things for us to do. God acknowledged that it was going to happen but now was not the right time and it was not going to be accomplished through David. David’s desire was going to be fulfilled but not in the way David thought or wished it would. How did David respond to God’s ‘no’ answer? (16-20). David didn’t focus on God saying ‘no’ he focused on all the good God had done in his life. That’s what we need to do. We need to recognize God’s generosity despite getting a ‘no’ answer. In the midst of dealing with God rejecting our request will we still praise him for all the blessings he’s given us? God knows what’s best for us. We think we know and are confused when God doesn’t deliver on what we think is best. If we don’t receive what we pray for, whether it’s not his will or not the right time, we need to trust God’s wisdom.
CONCLUSION: When God says no we can have various reactions: we can get angry and think God doesn’t care; we can become sad and think God doesn’t want to use me anymore; we can get worried and try to make it happen ourselves. We need to remember that we don't have all the answers and we can't see the full purposes of God. We don't know the future and we can’t completely understand the mind of God-nor were we meant to. The question is-will we still trust him? Will we still praise him? The God who answered our previous prayers "favorably" is no different than the one who has answered our current prayer "unfavorably". When God says ‘no’ it is a test. And within that test we will be tempted to change three things-our view of God, our devotion to God, our trust in God. It didn’t work on Jesus, Paul or David; hopefully it won’t work on us either.
