Does God Ever Say No?

Is this what it look like when God says “No?” Somebody built this house in the middle of nowhere trying to live a good life. It is one of the bleakest spots I have ever seen. If it weren’t for the power lines there would be no other signs of civilization for miles. Sometimes, in spite of our best efforts, the answer is not what you are looking for. The reasons may elude us, and faith in our faith may drive us to continue pursuing a lost cause. Don Quixote comes to mind as a satirical example.

I once had a pastor who was more than that to me, he was a friend and a mentor. He was diagnosed with cancer in a middle stage and we were all pretty sure that things would be fine. We did all the things you would expect a church to do and he did all the right things as well. One Sunday morning he took the podium and announced that sometimes we try too hard. Sometimes we fight too long. Sometimes the answer to our prayers is no. As a congregation we were shocked and relieved. The truth was apparent to anyone with vision, yet to hear him say it was a blessing. It allowed us to be true to what we knew yet did not want to say out loud. In this case the Lord had said no. He came to grips with his own mortality and peacefully passed on to the next life.

This troubles me now because of something I heard regarding faith. That if we; that is the collective we - as in all Christians in the U.S. - just had more faith, many of our troubles would be over. I have a problem with that, because it ignores one huge issue. It takes in no account of an idea being wrong. What if God is telling a leader not to proceed? How would He voice that command. Could it be through a lack of participation in the congregation? Through grumbling perhaps? I say that is very possible.

After the service we had a quite lively discussion over the concept that it is a lack of faith in America causing these issues. It could very well be the case in some places, but there have to also be other instances where the answer is simply no and the people don’t want to hear it. Throughout the bible we have proven ourselves to be hard of hearing when it comes to the Lord’s commands. We are easily led, sometimes by our own desires, to our detriment.

The next time you question yourself for not being faithful enough take a moment to reflect, are you sure you are listening? Are you sure you aren’t behaving like one who refuses to take no for an answer? As my pastor once said, it is possible to try too hard, sometimes instead of exhorting we need to listen.

Like so many questions of faith this is not one that can be answered for you, because your answer is yours and yours alone. No one else can tell you if you are being faithful or stubborn, that is between you and your Lord.