Say Yes When Life Says NoSample

When Jesus steps into your life as He did with Mr. Blind Man, He not only redeems your past but also radically alters your future. The day Mr. Blind Man received his sight, he had no idea how much it would redirect his future. He experienced the responsibility of Jesus’ yes for his life in the form of unexpected challenges and new decisions in his world of sight.

Can you relate? Sometimes we have one breakthrough in life only to encounter new uncertainty. When our previous no turns into a present yes, it behooves us to begin acting as if we have what we have and we are who we are. 

Suppose the man Jesus healed in John 5, who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years, went back and sat by the pool after he had been healed. Suppose the woman who was healed by touching the hem of Jesus’ robe kept holding His robe after she was healed (Luke 8:43–48). It would have been preposterous for Lazarus to remain in the tomb after Jesus raised him from the dead (John 11:43–44). Perhaps that’s why Jesus said more than “Lazarus.” It was sufficient to call Lazarus’s name to bring him back to life, but after Jesus said, “Lazarus,” He said, “Come out!” (v. 43). Why would Jesus bless someone with a miracle only to have that person live as he or she did before the miracle?

Mr. Blind Man now had sight. He no longer needed to beg. When our no in life becomes a yes, we have to be ready to accept the responsibility that comes along with yes. He was also now in a position to help those who remained blind and those who begged for a living as he had once done. If we are going to act as if we have enjoyed the benefit of God turning our no into a yes, we will remember to love and serve those whose no persists and whose yes is elusive.

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48).

Are you living in the face of your yes with hesitancy and fear? Praise God that His yes to you and your acceptance of it includes the Holy Spirit’s power to grow you in boldness, responsibility, and compassion toward others.

We hope you enjoyed the Say Yes When Life Says No reading plan. You can learn more about Dr. Soaries and his new book Say Yes When Life Says No here.