If God says no to your request for a raise at work, or that you might do
well on a test, you may feel “Meh.” A little disappointment.
But if the Lord says No (or Wait) when you ask Him to heal a
loved one or to open the eyes of your spouse to stop divorce proceedings, well,
disappointment doesn't describe it. You feel profound discouragement, maybe
even anger. Or betrayal.
The other night I noticed a time when Jesus said no to the
prayers of His disciples. It’s in Acts 1, right before Christ ascended to
heaven. It seemed like a reasonable request: “Lord, are you
at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (v. 6) Christ died on the cross, rose
from the dead, and had just spent 40 days teaching them and preparing them. So
it was made sense to ask, What’s Your plan, and when will it happen?
Jesus’ response to their request was “It is not for you to know the times or
dates the Father has set by his own authority. (v. 7) Basically He said, No, I won’t tell you. It’s a
matter of the Father’s sovereign plan, and you don’t get to know this.
Honestly, doesn't His response seems a little abrupt?
But immediately after that Jesus said, But
you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my
witnesses in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.” (v. 8)
No to your timetable request, but here's what I will give you.
I’m sending you the Holy Spirit, with supernatural power to change the history of the world.
It’s always that way, I suppose. The Lord says no to one
thing, but instead gives us more than we could have ever asked for.
But that doesn't make the No any easier. And when He does
say No, or Wait, to our prayers, then we’re tempted to make another request:
Why? Please explain. And often He says No to that, too.
I won't presume to speak for Him. I don’t know why He says
No or Wait. But I think that every No, and every Wait comes from a heart of
infinite love and incredible kindness and immeasurable wisdom. I think His
answers, all of them, even the ones that aren't what we want, are actually His
best for us. And it may be that He is preparing to say Yes to something else,
something more wonderful than we've ever dreamed of asking.
