When I was young(er), I used to beg, literally beg, my mother for this thing or that. Sometimes she would say yes, but other times (more often than not) she would say no. Usually, one "no" was enough. But every once in a while, I would feel like her negative response was unjust. And then the begging would begin. Usually, her answer would remain the same. But every once in a while, she would acquiesce, saying "Whatever you want to do, Josie" and give me what I wanted...
Invariably, I would end up regretting it. I would be left with the overwhelming sense that if I had just listened to her in the first place, the heartache or pain that I experienced would have been avoided. In reality, if I'm honest about it, in the moments when I was begging my mother to change her mind, I was thinking that I knew more than she did. How presumptuous of my younger self! How could I possibly have thought that in my limited years I knew more than the woman who brought me into this world?
(By now you should know where I'm going with this...)
There are those times when we respond to God's denial of a request like my younger self responded to my mother time and again. We continue to beg God for something that is not in His will. And every once in a while, like my mother, God will say, "Whatever you want to do, (your name here)."
And invariably we end up regretting it. I've had many a friend enter into a horrible marriage because they couldn't accept God's "no." I've seen people lose thousands of dollars on failed business ventures because they just couldn't accept the "no." Balaam nearly lost his life (see Num. 22:1-38). And the list could go on.
If we're honest with ourselves, we will see our refusal to accept the "no" for what it is: a presumptuous belief that we know more than God. Oh sure, we would never say it like that, but that is exactly what it is. And Paul warns us about that in Romans 9:20-21:
Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
Shall we say to the Almighty that He is wrong for denying a request? Shall we correct the One who needs no counsel? Shall we challenge the very sovereignty of the Uncaused God?
Of course, we answer those questions in the negative, yet our actions indicate otherwise. Let us be mindful that He is the Potter and we are merely the clay. He shapes us and molds us into what He wants us to be and we cannot and indeed must not try to tell Him what we ought to be.
Yes, it is inconvenient for us to truly surrender to someone or something outside of ourselves. We like to feel like we are the captains of our own souls. But we are not. We, as Christians, belong to God. He knows what is best for us. He's promised that His plans for us are to give us hope and a future (see Jer. 29:11). So when He says "no," let us accept it, lest we find ourselves wishing we had.
Invariably, I would end up regretting it. I would be left with the overwhelming sense that if I had just listened to her in the first place, the heartache or pain that I experienced would have been avoided. In reality, if I'm honest about it, in the moments when I was begging my mother to change her mind, I was thinking that I knew more than she did. How presumptuous of my younger self! How could I possibly have thought that in my limited years I knew more than the woman who brought me into this world?
(By now you should know where I'm going with this...)
There are those times when we respond to God's denial of a request like my younger self responded to my mother time and again. We continue to beg God for something that is not in His will. And every once in a while, like my mother, God will say, "Whatever you want to do, (your name here)."
And invariably we end up regretting it. I've had many a friend enter into a horrible marriage because they couldn't accept God's "no." I've seen people lose thousands of dollars on failed business ventures because they just couldn't accept the "no." Balaam nearly lost his life (see Num. 22:1-38). And the list could go on.
If we're honest with ourselves, we will see our refusal to accept the "no" for what it is: a presumptuous belief that we know more than God. Oh sure, we would never say it like that, but that is exactly what it is. And Paul warns us about that in Romans 9:20-21:
Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
Shall we say to the Almighty that He is wrong for denying a request? Shall we correct the One who needs no counsel? Shall we challenge the very sovereignty of the Uncaused God?
Of course, we answer those questions in the negative, yet our actions indicate otherwise. Let us be mindful that He is the Potter and we are merely the clay. He shapes us and molds us into what He wants us to be and we cannot and indeed must not try to tell Him what we ought to be.
Yes, it is inconvenient for us to truly surrender to someone or something outside of ourselves. We like to feel like we are the captains of our own souls. But we are not. We, as Christians, belong to God. He knows what is best for us. He's promised that His plans for us are to give us hope and a future (see Jer. 29:11). So when He says "no," let us accept it, lest we find ourselves wishing we had.
Great post, Josie!
ReplyDeletethx, dear.
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