Tuesday, August 10, 2021
The apostle James writes that a Christ-follower can trust God when He does not answer prayers the way we wanted.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, (KJV)
When God says “no” in some area of life you may wrongly conclude He doesn’t want you to have nice things or a person you hope to build a life with. Remember, God isn’t like you and me — He doesn’t withhold things selfishly or in a mean-spirited way. Someone once wrote, “God answers prayer in one of 5 ways: No, I love you too much; Yes, I thought you’d never ask; Yes, but not now; Yes, but quite differently from how you thought I would answer; Yes, and here’s more.
God isn’t mad at you. In fact, when you were living a sinful lifestyle and wanted nothing to do with Him . . . He had gone ahead and sent His Son to die for your sins 2000 years ago! Scripture says, “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Everything good in your life was provided by God — that sometimes means saying “No”. To experience the fullest blessings of God you must confess you are a sinner, ask Him to forgive you of those sins, and turn from leading your life your way and begin to live life God’s way. God knows the end from the beginning – if He has said “No” or “Not Now” you can trust Him completely!