“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares 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.” – Isaiah 55:8-9
Have you ever asked God for something — for Him to do something or to not do something — and He simply answers your prayer with “No”? Yesterday, we talked about how God does not forsake us. He might be quiet at times, but He is not out of the picture. Well, oftentimes, we think the only thing worse than not hearing from God is when He says no.
But let me assure you. If God says no, He has a good reason for it. Isaiah 55:8-9 say, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares 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.”
While you might not like hearing it, sometimes His “no” is in your best interest. You might think that you have the entire situation all figured out. You have thought it through and you just know God answering your prayer the way you want Him to is the best thing for you. But His ways are not our ways, and He sees things we do not see.
When God says “no,” I promise it is not the end of the world. Sure it might hurt in the moment. We might think that things are falling apart, but in reality, they are actually just falling into place. God’s “no” always comes with good reason, and whether you understand it now or not, one day you will. And you will thank Him for that.
As Garth Brooks said, “Some of God’s greatest gifts…are unanswered prayers.”