The Father Knows BestSample

How could I remain hopeful after God did not answer one of the biggest prayers of my life—to heal my wife? How can I possibly continue to encourage others to hold on to hope? This is the challenge I had to face.

Hope is our expectation for the future. I had hope that my wife, Lois, would be completely healed and restored. We had goals, dreams of the future, great things we wanted to do together for the Lord and with each other. 

God chose not to answer my prayer in the way I had hoped. So, I had to hold on to a hope that God, in His wisdom, had a greater purpose and plan that could only be fulfilled in this way. Hope for strength, for courage, for help in finding a way to move forward. Hope that God would take all the pain and confusion and reveal a deeper experience of His love than ever before. 

In the face of loss, we must let go and trust in His sovereignty and kindness. “Lord, it’s not my will,” I told Him, “But your will be done.” That was an act of surrender, and I won’t pretend it was an easy thing to do. Every believer will face a moment when they have to yield to His final decision and say “yes” to God about a “no” He has said to them. 

What experiences have you had with God saying “no”? What was the result?