September 11, 2021

When No Means More Than No

At last! She'd made it to the bus! She'd be in time for her interview! Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled out her Metro card and dipped it into the farebox.

But nothing happened.

Elizabeth tried again, but to no avail. Apparently her Metro card was empty. Desperately she looked around the bus for someone--anyone--who might be willing to lend a girl $1.50 for the fare. Alas, no one even looked in her direction. Everyone seemed preoccupied with their own affairs. Sensing the frustration of those behind her trying to board, Elizabeth dejectedly got off the bus.

She was going to miss the interview that would change her life because of a lousy buck-fifty. Why, God? Why did You let me miss the bus? Didn't You make it possible for me to get the interview? Didn't You open that door? Show me that job posting? Why, after all that work, did You let me miss it over $1.50? Why, God? WHY?

But only silence answered Elizabeth, and in the silence of her disappointment she headed home. It was just going to be another day, just another day like all the others. Nothing was going to change for her. Not today.

But Elizabeth was wrong, because that day--September 11, 2001--everything changed, and not just for Elizabeth. But the reason Elizabeth will always remember it is because it was the day that God said "no" to her interview with Century21 in the World Trade Center in New York City, and saved her life. He not only saved her life, but she now has two children who would have never been born, had it not been for God's "no" that day. He also saved her so that she could help her father through a chronic illness which, at least once, could have been fatal but for her devoted attention to his care. God saved her twenty years ago so that in the current crisis she could establish a business that plays a vital role in keeping others safe by creating clean, safe spaces in which to live and work. And He saved her so that, at more than one point in my life when I have needed the strength and encouragement that only she could provide, she was there to share with me those gifts that God has so generously given her.

Perhaps you're facing a situation right now where you have been praying for a "yes" but God has said "no". It's okay to be disappointed. That's normal. But just keep in mind that God never says "no" unless He has a better plan. You may not be able to see that plan now, but you can trust that He does. Be thankful for the "no", even in your disappointment. And pray expectantly, because God's "no" to one prayer is often a "yes" to another prayer you didn't even know to offer.

Romans 8:27-28 NLT

“And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”