Rejoicing in Noes

I find it interesting that when I ask God for a clear answer about something, I usually get discouraged when I hear “No”. Or even harder to hear is, “You have to wait.” I usually try to add a little gray into the black and white answer I eagerly ask for. “So Lord, does ‘no’ mean just not at this second? Are you going to change your mind this afternoon? Because I have to tell ya, I need an answer on this soon.” Since when did receiving the answer I don’t want to hear become an irrelevant answer? Do I really mean what I’m asking for in my prayers? This little fact about myself has been eye opening to say the least!

My husband & I are currently considering buying a house. We have seen numerous houses. In each house, I always love to envision where I would put our dining room table, which room the baby’s room would be & think about the bbq parties we would have with friends in the back yard. Of the many houses we’ve seen, we’ve only liked 2 enough to give an offer. (And just a side note: Whoever told me that it’s the buyers market right now has definitely not tried to buy in our area. Wowzers! I feel like I’m a little tadpole in a tank of sharks right now!) Anyways, we put an offer on a house about 2 weeks ago. After we submitted all the paperwork we needed to, there seemed to be one hold up after the other on the broker’s side. I asked God to give me His peace & a confidence to know that He knew what was best for us & that any hold up would not effect whether or not this house was supposed to be ours.  And boy, did I feel that. My confidence didn’t have to do with the amount of our offer or the fact that we were the first bid. That really doesn’t guarantee anything in the house-buying world I’ve learned. But I had this overwhelming peace that I’ve had many times before. I grabbed a rock from beside the driveway & decided I would put it on our countertop at home. I told Jarred that whenever we looked at that rock, we were going to claim our house & thank God for it. I don’t think he was necessarily on the same page as I was, because his response was, “Whether or not we get this house, this rock represents that God knows what’s best for us.” What was he thinking!? I had a peace & confidence that God knew what He was doing, so obviously that meant this house was my house. A few days later, Jarred called me from work & told me that we didn’t get the house. I could have just passed out on the floor from shock. All I could think was, “But my rock…it’s right here.” After my initial shock & a few tears, my husband reminded me what that rock really represented & that we had been praying for God’s answer about the house…not a yes. Oh snap. That’s right!

So this past week I’ve been more aware as I pray & ask God for His answer or direction about anything. And I’m keenly aware of the words I’m praying when I say “Your will be done.” When you ask for that second one & mean it, buckle up because you never know what’s going to happen. I think the most rewarding & spiritually growing times in my life, even though sometimes difficult, have happened when I jump wholeheartedly into that statement. But I’ve never regretted those times. Ever. However, even after experiencing it firsthand, my flesh instinctively wants to test the waters again & again before I jump.

So I’ve decided I will no longer pray for God’s will when I know I’m just trying to hear the answer I want. I will first readjust my view, refocus my heart & realize that His best for my life is not always what I want at that moment. I have many, many, many examples of that in the past. Yet, I still need reminding. Thank you, Lord for reminding me…again. So all of this to say, I am so grateful for my “noes” in life. They are just as beautiful as my “yeses”. If I truly want to be plugged into God’s will, I will be thankful for each guided step & rejoice in every answer He gives me. He is always good to His children & I declare my God as faithful!