When God says 'No'...

My last post was on answering God's question to us about what we really want. I know that God has so much for us and there are things he wants us to ask him for so he can give it. 

However, what happens when God says "no"?

Sometimes when we pray, we feel that God is silent or taking too long when he doesn't answer immediately with a "yes". When God doesn't do what we ask, we think he's not listening.

Is thinking that God is taking his time or is just not listening somehow easier to come to terms with than accepting that God has said "no"?

I, and many others, have prayed for weeks for friends and their little baby. She was born with some serious health issues and needed surgery a few days after she was born. Her parents knew there were issues before she was born but thanked God for this precious life and trusted him with her. After praying and pleading with God to heal her, this precious baby died a couple of days ago in her mother's arms. God said "no"...

How do we deal with God saying "no" to us? It seems incredibly unfair. It hurts. It's confusing.

I prayed for my mum to be healed when she was diagnosed with cancer. 11 weeks later she died. God said "no".

I prayed that if I was to ever become pregnant that I would not miscarry. I became pregnant for the first time. My husband and I prayed that I would not lose the baby. I had a miscarriage and lost that baby. God said "no".

What do we do with all of this?

In the midst of anger, confusion, pain and tears, I still hear God whisper "I love you. Trust me."

In these times of "no", I remember that God is good and he is love. My circumstances and feelings - may shout something else but God IS good and he is LOVE. The Bible says so. Other experiences in my life show this to be true. The Cross shows me that this is true...

The Bible tells me that God is a loving Father. Loving someone means that there are times when "no" is the best answer to give, even if the person you're saying "no" to doesn't understand or you know that answer will hurt. God sees what I cannot. I cannot see how saying "no" to our prayers in these situations can be good for anyone right now but I can trust him.

Jesus asked God to take away his suffering before he was crucified and God said "no". The way to save, redeem, forgive and free mankind, was through the cross...

When tempted to say that God doesn't care, I remind myself of all that God has done before and of the truth of who he is. Even through my tears I look at Jesus. I remember the cross. I see love. I hold on to that and know that he holds on to me.