Real Hope: When God Says NoНамуна

The Receiving End of ‘No’

Everyone loves the word no… except when you’re on the receiving end of it.

It tends to mean a final say on something. An end. A ‘no longer up for discussion’, full stop, no returns kind of vibe.

As a kid I loved saying it, asserting myself and making my voice heard.

As a teenager I hated hearing it, feeling as though my life was over because it meant I wasn’t allowed to do something I really wanted to do.

As an adult, however, I’ve developed respect for the word that I loved to wield as a toddler.

No has a lot of power to it. It sets boundaries. It halts momentum. It can see your world come plummeting down around you. No is a powerful word. It has the ability to release or restrain something.

So when God uses it, He doesn’t do so lightly. When I was younger, there were times when I felt as though God was an old man up in heaven who just loved saying no. But as I’ve journeyed through life, I’ve seen God’s ‘No’ to one thing mean His ‘Yes’ to something else, something better. It doesn’t mean hearing Him say no was easy – it’s never easy. But I’m grateful for the times where He pulled me back, telling me no because what He had in store has always turned out better than the thing I wanted in the first place.

Written by NERI MORRIS

Want more? Check out the Real Hope Conversations Podcast and delve deeper into our conversation about navigating those moments when God Says No. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.