What to do when God’s answer is No

This week I lost a cousin we had been praying for to recover.  It is heart breaking to know she is gone from us here, but we know God knows best.  It doesn’t really make the hurt easier, but it does provide us hope that we will see her again.  Was it selfish of us to ask God to save her?  I don’t believe so.  

In John 16, Jesus said if we were His followers and abide in Him, we can ask what we will in His name and it will be done.  We prayed for my cousin’s healing and God in His infinite wisdom did that – not in the way we hoped but her body is not ill anymore.  When we prayed, we meant for her to be healed and be here with us, but we know that God’s plans are high above ours and sometimes His answer to our prayers are “not yet” and “no.” 

We have to remember that at the end of the day, God’s Will and Purpose will be fulfilled (Psalm 138:8)…..not ours.  It’s hard to believe sometimes that we are not in control of our destiny and we can’t get everything we want (even when it is outside of God’s will for us).  But if we were able to have everything “we think” we want, it would lead to our destruction.  If we are not connected to Christ and we go off on our own to get whatever we want, we will be destroyed.  What profits a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul (Mark 8:36)?  Whatever we want here on earth is temporary (2 Cor 4:18), but we will live eternally somewhere and isn’t it best to live in Christ now so we can have eternal life and not eternal death.  Nothing on this earth is worth the cost of our souls.  

When we realize that we don’t know what is best for us and we ask the Father for something?  He knows whether it’s in our best interest.  And if we belong to Him, He will work all things for our best to keep us safe and protected…..even when we don’t understand (Rom 8:28).  As Jesus prayed, Lord your will and not mine (Luke 22:44).  That is surrender and it is powerful….to choose to give up your will for the One who is never wrong.  It’s not easy, but that’s why we need the Holy Spirit to empower us to do God’s good pleasure.  

We have to remember that even when the outcome is not to our liking or what we wanted, God is still in control (Prov 19:21).  He is still on the throne (Psalm 47:8)!  We are still His children and He is still going to do what is best for all of us.  HE STILL LOVES US!  He is a good parent (Psalm 103:13).  

So, just as we expect our children to accept when we tell them “No”, the same holds true for us.  When God says, “No,” we have to understand that He has His reasons that we may not understand now, but it is ultimately for the good of His children.