How To Act When God Says No!!!

There are times when God says "no" to our requests and when He does say "no" He does not need to give us a reason for His negative response, He does not owe us a rebuttal, He is not required to present us with an abstract detailing why He has said no, and He is not going to submit a synopsis of why our request has been rejected.  When God says "no", He means "no".  Like a loving and caring parent, there are times when God hears the cry of His children and His desire is to bless them, but His answer to their request is no.  The problem is when He does say no we need to learn how to act.

It’s October 29, 2009 and people are in Wal-Mart buying candy as if it is going dry up like a small pond in an Arizona dessert and disappear.  I quickly remember that Halloween is around the corner and no matter how much I preach against it people are going to celebrate being every kind of ghost there is except for the Holy Ghost.  I am standing in line and little boy in front of me wants a Baby Ruth candy bar.  His father says no and he went into a frenzy.  Kicking, crying, screaming, nose red, attitude bad, and sitting on the floor pouting.  His father said, “Jay I said no and I mean no, now stand up so we can get out of this store!”

Like little Jay in the grocery store, many of us have a fit when God says no to our requests.  This is chiefly due to how we see God.  Even though most of us will not admit it, we see God as a waiter at a table assigned to simply take your order from the divine menu of the Bible, rush into a kitchen filled with angels and place your request.  We see God walking with His tray and on it is your made to order request made fresh with all of the trimmings.  But, this view of God is severely flawed!  God is an eternal Father and we are His children and He cares more about how we come out then He does about how we feel.  And, for our own good there are times He says "no!"

Just like Jay’s father told him no about the Baby Ruth that he wanted God also told the Apostle Paul no regarding his request.  Paul says “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.  And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor. 12:7-10, KJV).  Yes, God says no, but we don’t know how to act when He does.  But, how should we respond when the Lord says "no?"

First of all, we should respond with gratefulness because His answer of no protects us from the sin of human pride.  Here’s the shout of the day!  God is so awesome that He can make the devil bless you!  Here’s how it works.  In this passage Satan is allowed to “buffet” the Apostle Paul.  It comes from the Greek word kolafidzo, it is in the present tense, active voice and subjunctive mood.  It means to punch with the fist, over and over again.  In short, the Lord lets the enemy just have at you from time to time.  Now here’s the million dollar question, why would a good, kind, and merciful God let Satan have a season with you?  Here’s the secret that will bless you like crazy, God knows that wounded children stay close to their Father and He just loves having you in His lap!  Pride can be poison.  It is the sin of the heart that makes you think that you can do it without God.  But, the Lord has a way of fixing pride.  Our God makes the devil bless you by permitting an attack that brings you so close to Him that you end up in His arms!  So when the Lord says no you should be grateful because what He is really saying is “I want you in my bosom!”  (Read St. Matthew 11:28).     

Secondly, we should respond with gratitude because His answer of no prevents us from leaning towards human provision and presses us towards divine portions.  If you have ever received an answer of no from God this should make your heart glad.  God said" no" to you because the human provision that you wanted was not good enough for the divine provision that was on the way!  Paul prays three times and the Lord does not do it.  God does not heal him.  God does not fix it.  In short, God says "no!"  But, there’s a method to what appears to be total madness given in the text.  While God is saying "no" to what is temporary for you, He is saying "yes" to that which is eternal that will keep you forever!  Here’s the discovery that takes place in the passage and it is enough to make anyone with common sense say “thank you Jesus!”  When God says "no" it is because He has a divine portion of grace for you that is not like anything you’ve ever encountered!  Now all of us have encountered the unmerited favor of God that we call grace.  But, when the Lord gives you this grace you celebrate the fact that when you couldn’t, God could!  You shout about the fact that when you didn’t do it, God did it for you!  And when you could not go any further, the Lord carried you all of the way!  (Read 2 Cor. 9:8).    

And lastly we should respond should with glory because that’s what God gets when we praise Him through the pain.  There are three ways to rejoice as a believer in Jesus Christ.  First, you can rejoice over what the Lord has already seen you through.  If you are like most God has already done some wonderful things for you and when you think about them they make you say “praise the Lord!”  Secondly, can rejoice over things the Lord has kept you from.  And, lastly you can rejoice over the fact that God has you propped up right now!  That’s what Paul is giving God glory for in the passage.  He says “…I would rather glory in my infirmities because when I am weak then I am strong…”  This portion of the passage should read like this, “You can look at me right now and see what the glory of God looks like because His strength has me propped up!”  Are you shouting yet?  If you aren’t you should be and here’s why; people that are propped up, but in pain give God more glory in praise while they are in public.  Glory happens when ever God is most visible!  And you can’t help but see God in a season of your life when you know that it was nobody but Jesus Christ seeing you through!  Here’s a great devotional question to ask.  When was the last time the Lord had to prop you up?  What was your shout like then?  Was your praise filled with gratitude?  Glory?  What about thanksgiving?  When God says no it is not all bad because what comes from His no, is a yes from you that you didn’t know that you had in you! (Read Psalms 34:1)
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph

Tell Jesus I Need Another Touch!

Dear Friends In The Faith:

Prayer requests. I get them all of the time. I receive them from hurting people that need healing, from addicted people that seek deliverance, from relationally wounded people who really need a friend, from married people that are on the verge of divorce, from single people that are trying to remain celibate, from unemployed people looking for a job, from cancer patients hoping that the chemo works, from heart patients waiting on the surgery, from good people that are depressed with life that want to quit, from frustrated people that have given it their best and still their best wasn't good enough, from single parents that are hurt because one of their children have strayed from the path of their upbringing, and from teachers that have students that are taking state examines and realize that if God does not help them it will be impossible for them to pass. I get prayer requests all day long!

One of my most memorable request that I have ever encountered took place in the fall of 1999. I was visiting *Bro. Randy Smith. He was a retired educator in his late sixty's. He was a very stately man that was small in stature but he was tall in the community. He had helped numerous people turn their lives around and now he was sick and needed help. At the conclusion of our visit I asked *Bro. Smith if he had a prayer request for God. He paused, grunted, and pressed himself to sit up and turn to the edge of the bed (this took a good while I might add). He managed to smile through his pain, lift up his head and say "Yes sir brother Pastor! I do need something from the Lord that you can pray for. Tell Jesus I need another touch!"

Here's a great devotional question for you to consider as we spend these precious moments together. Have you ever reached a point in your walk with God that you needed the Lord's touch again? If you haven't just keep on living. But, for those of you reading this message that can say "I need another touch right now" I have great news for you! The God we serve is in the touching business and when you know Him well enough you know that He will touch you more than once! Here's how the gospel of St. Mark puts it, "And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly" (St. Mark 8:22-25, KJV). Now if Jesus touched this man more than once He can and will do the same thing for you. But, why does the Lord touch you more than once?
 
He knows that we have sight, but He really wants us to see. Have you ever heard the old cliche' "hind sight is 20/20?" It means that I had eyes but I could not see worth a flip. It means that I could not see that they were just using me. It means that I could not see how God was going to work it out. It means that if I had it to do over again I would do it differently. And it means that I use to worry about what people said about me, but I have reached a new level of trust in God that gives me the freedom to say "I don't care what they say!" Look at this text, Jesus poses an interesting question to this man. He asks Him what do you see? Watch the reply. He says "I see men and they look like trees." What's wrong with this kind of sight you ask? When you see people that are too big you will always have a God that's too small! Your God is too big to be small, too huge to be little and too power powerful to be weak! When He is with you it does not matter who or what is against you! This is why the Lord has to touch us again. He needs for us to see our worries as small, our problems as tiny in His hands and people that are nothing more than human!

Secondly, He knows that we have been made better, but we are not well yet. Okay, let's be open and honest for a moment. Since you met Jesus Christ you can see that He has brought your life a long, long, long, long way can't you? For that we say thank you Jesus! But, here's that back side of that truth. We still have a long, long, long to go don't we? This is why we need another touch. It's what happens in this passage. "I see" the man exclaims with vigor! Retranslation "I'm better!" "I'm soo much better!" But, when Jesus hears his answer of what he see's He knows that he is better but he is not well! If you are a christian, but will curse if you get mad enough it is because you are better, but not well. If you love Jesus, but still slide a rum and coke in every now and then it is because you are better, but not well. If you can say I have forgiven them, but I do not want them in my face yet it is because you are better, but not well. And, if you were really sick and not you almost back to normal it is because you are better but not well yet! Are you shouting right now? You should be because you know that you are better, but not well yet and it is why the Lord has to touch you again! 

And, lastly He knows that we have what is good, but God wants us to have what is best. Here's the best news of the day, week, month and year! God wants you to have the very best!!! In this narrative Jesus could have walked away from this man when he gained his sight and let him just make due! But, that's not the kind of God He is. So the Lord touches him one more time. Please pay attention to this. The man has what is good. But Jesus says by way of His actions, "that's not good enough. I want you to have what is best!" You see, when the Lord wants you to have what is best He touches you again. Get this, if you want the best children ask the Lord to touch them! If you want the best marriage ask the Lord to touch it! If you want the best life, the best career, the best destiny, the best healing, the best relationships, the best friends, the best finances, the best future, the best family and the best faith ask the Lord to touch them one more time! Anything that His hands touch get better until they become the very best!!!

It was a simple prayer request given by *Bro. Smith. But, it stuck with me like crazy. I prayed his request just as he asked. And he got well enough to rise from his sick bed, come to church, worship God and continue helping people in the community be their best. And, when you ask him how he got well, he will tell you that Jesus touched him again!!! For those who know His touch to be real celebrate the fact that His touch changes everything. And if you are facing a situation right now that requires His mighty hand you should look towards heaven where ever you are and cry this petition from your soul and expect God to come through for you like only He can! "Jesus, touch me again!!!"

Your Friend,

Dr. John R. Adolph

*Bro. Smith has been used so that the real name remains anonymous.