Even If: When God Says NoSample

Day 4: Submit Anyway

Following with prayer when God says no, is the act of submission.

I can think of no greater example of this than when Jesus submitted to the Will of the Father for Him to be crucified.

After it is apparent that the answer to our prayer is no, we have a choice. We can rebel or we can submit. We rebel by choosing a different path than what God calls for in His Word. We submit by obeying God even if it is tougher to do so.

Jesus chose to submit. He was praying so intensely in the Garden of Gethsemane that His sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood! He fervently wanted a yes, but He got a no. His prayer was that despite what He wanted, He wanted the Father’s Will to be done above His own.

May we have this same attitude of heart in our own lives. We face many hard things but few of us will face the ridicule, shame, torture, and pain that came with the Crucifixion that Jesus was facing. He is our example showing that if we can endure suffering by submitting to God, we can enjoy the reward just as He did.

Submitting to God keeps things in their proper order. He is God, and we are not. He knows what is best, while we do not. He sees the full picture, but we only see a small piece. Submitting to Him means we trust Him when things don’t make sense to us. Spend some time today talking with the Lord. Ask Him if you have surrendered all areas of your life to Him.