Trusting In The “No”

 By Breanna Patton

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

At different times in our lives, we will get “no’s” from the Lord. We may not (and probably will not) understand why, but He may have a greater “yes” just around the corner. Too often when we get a “no” from God, we throw an adult-size temper tantrum instead of trusting that He knows what is best. 

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Even as a parent would love to grant every whim and wish their child had, not everything they want is good for them. Our Heavenly Father does the same for us, knowing that some of the things we desire are not what is best for us. He kindly directs our steps if we will trust in Him. It would be so much easier to trust if we knew the future; however, it wouldn’t be trust if we did. 

Trusting is easier said than done. Let me share with you a personal testimony of trust and the lack thereof. My husband and I prayed for over a year for the Lord to bless us with a child. I would constantly go back and forth from trusting that He knew what was best for us whether that meant giving us a child or not. I played a spiritual game of ping-pong with my trust in the Lord. I finally came to a point when I had to decide if I was going to trust or get bitter with the situation the Lord had placed us in. After a year of fighting this battle within myself, I had a conversation with the Lord and told Him that whatever He had planned for me I would trust Him no matter what. Not two months later, our little blessing was on the way (who is now a healthy one year old!) Maybe you’re waiting for your Mr. Right, a little one of your own, or something else entirely.

Just because you surrender your will to the Father’s does not mean that He will grant your desire. However, you will have to choose if He is “enough” if His final answer for your request is a “no.” 

Psalm 73:26, “My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.” His answer may be “no” or “wait” for a time. It may be a “yes” in the future. Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” He has a purpose for your life that far exceeds what your plans or goals could be. Simply trust Him.