When God Says “No” – Wait On Him!

Photo by Jon Tyson (unsplash)

Written by Charles S. Head

One thing I’ve noticed about our human nature is that many of us don’t like to wait on things that we think should happen sooner, according to our prescribed time clock.

We are known to rush things along which causes us to make hasty decisions. In the process we reap the consequences of confusion, disappointments, anxiety and the loss of our peace. These things cause us unnecessary stress that could have been avoided had we took the process slower in order to make a wise decision.

From a Godly view, according to scripture we must “trust in the Lord and lean not unto our own understanding,” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

When we use the principle of acknowledging the Lord, he will give us wisdom, if we wait on Him for His direction.

When we pray we must understand that God doesn’t have to answer us according to our will, but his will, along with his way. Yes, we can pray specific at times, but keep in mind that “God always knows best” and “His thoughts are not ours” (Isaiah 55:8-11).

There are many ways God answers us, but we have to be open and sensitive to what’s happening. Sometimes when God says “No” it is a blocked opportunity in which we may have thought should have proceeded, but we must be careful not to blame the devil for stopping us from getting our answer. Many times God is preventing us from future trouble, or he even has better things for us. It does not have to be materialistic, it could be a relationship, troubled children, a health issue, etc. The main thing is knowing that God’s answer could be “No,” or “Wait.”

Many years ago I wanted this house more than anything, I was very anxious because I liked it. I even prayed and asked the Lord for this house. The danger was that I had a pre-made up mind, even though I prayed to the Lord. When I went ahead and opened my own door to get this house without God’s approval it was a big mistake. Why? When we overrule God’s peace and use our emotion to do something it will bring havoc, which is what happened to me. When we have a made up mind and rule with our emotion and strong will, God will back off and allow us to get what we want, but not like what we get. When I finally moved into this house I was depressed for one year. I lost my peace and condemnation followed me everywhere I went. I had sinned by disobeying God’s “no.” My solution was to repent and ask God for forgiveness for disobeying him. When I did this, my peace returned and my fellowship with God returned. It is always best to wait on the Lord when we pray. Many times there will be a delay or circumstance when we are tested to see if the Lord can trust us to obey him. Whatever we do, we must pass this test so we don’t go through the same test again. We must not complain about our situation, but trust God’s faithfullness, he will bring us through.