When God Says No

What happens when God says no to a prayer?  With special guest Aubrii! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Hello everyone and welcome to the Faithfully Her podcast. It's Joy, and today our episode is titled When God Says No for Her. But first, I have a very special friend from church here with me. So she's gonna say hi and tell us a little bit about herself before we get started. Here we go.

SPEAKER_00 0:16

Say hi. Hi guys, my name is Aubrey Malone. I am Joy's friend. I got saved back in 2023 when I was 10 years old. My favorite color is pink, and my favorite food is steak. And how old are you now? 13. What's your favorite season? Um, my favorite season is probably gonna be summer. Summer? I always thought of it as like a fall person. I mean, fall's nice, but like yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

Yeah. Um, what's your favorite restaurant or fast food place?

SPEAKER_00 0:53

Probably Taco Bell.

SPEAKER_01 0:55

Taco Bell? Ew! I'm just kidding. Really? What do you like to get from Taco Bell?

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Um, a taco.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

Awesome. Um, yeah. The last time we went to Taco Bell, I got like those cinnamon twist things. Those are good. They're though, no. Those are good. Yeah. They're too crunchy though. Um, no, but when I went, I got I don't know if they still have it, but it was like this confetti pocket slushy drink. Oh, I know.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

But I bought one and they gave me two, so it was a good day. Have you tried the cinnamon thing? It's like they were like cinnamon. Yeah. They're like these little balls that are like little cinnamon. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:37

I haven't had those, but they look really good. Okay. Anything else you want to say? Um what's your favorite scent? Body works. Scent. Golden Hour? Golden Hour.

unknown 1:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:49

Oh, okay. Anything else? I don't know. Okay, we'll go ahead and say bye, but you have to say it like bye! And hold it for a while. Okay, ready? Say go. Bye. Okay, well, that was Aubrey. Um, I'm so sorry there hasn't been an episode in two weeks. Um, I just had a conference and then we went on vacation. So I did post a video, if you want to see that, instead of a podcast. Not as good, but yeah. So this episode is all about when you're praying and praying and praying for something, and it just seems like God isn't listening and you don't know what to do. But first, let's play a game before we get started. This is a classic this or that game, so you should know how to play because we have played it quite a few times on here. So let's get started. Number one, would you rather, well, I guess it's like a would you rather more, but would you rather always have a plan or always go with the flow? I am so type A, I always have to have a plan for almost every single day of my life. Um, it's crazy. Number two, would you rather spend a day completely offline or spend a day completely alone? Um, I don't like being alone unless I'm in my bedroom. Then I like being alone. Um I do listen to music a lot, so I guess I would spend a day completely alone, but number three, um, would you would you rather be able to travel anywhere or learn it us any skill instantly? Sorry, um, I'm like stumbling over my words. I would probably want to learn a skill instantly, but I would make the skill like another language. I feel like that'd be really cool. Um number four, would you rather receive one amazing gift or have one unforgettable experience? Um depends on what the gift is, because I've already had a lot of unforgettable experiences this summer. Got to go like on a mission trip and um to camp and on vacation and stuff. So I would say an amazing gift since I've well probably actually an unforgettable experience. Number five, I think. Would you rather read the book or watch the movie? Watch the movie and then read the book, because then I know what's gonna happen. Okay, um or the other way around. I don't know, it could go both ways. Next one, would you rather know exactly what your future looks like or be surprised by every part of it? I would want to know what every detail of my future looks like, because I like to know things and I know I do like surprises sometimes, but when I know them so far in advance, then I don't really like them. Um the next one, would you rather live in the city or live in the countryside? I would live in the city 1,000 billion percent. I would hate to live in the country. I mean God if God called me to live in the country, then I would live in the country, but I would love to live in the city. I just love city life and I know it's kind of dangerous, but next one, would you rather be 15 minutes early or 15 minutes late always? I would always be 15 minutes early. I hate when we're late for school. We're never really late for church, but I hate when we're late to things, so I'd rather be 15 minutes early. The next one, would you rather have unlimited free time or unlimited energy? I would want to go to sleep at night, so can can you turn off the energy? I don't know. I think I would rather have unlimited free time, I guess. I don't really I don't really have a preference preference, sorry. Next one, would you rather be known for being incredibly kind or incredibly courageous? Um I'm not the mmm kindest person, and I'm not really courageous, so I guess I'd want a little bit of both. Both, but if I have to pick one, I guess I'd say courageous. Maybe? I don't know. Okay, so now we can do our highs and lows. My high was that I got to go to a conference in New Jersey and on vacation. That's why there wasn't an episode last week or the week before. Uh so actually, school starts next week, so that's also a high. Um, and my low was that the pool was closed all week, the week we had the conference at the hotel. So it was really sad. But let's get into our lesson now. So when God says no for her, have you ever prayed for something so badly and you were thinking, God, please let this happen. Please answer this prayer, just please let this work out the way I want it to work out. Maybe it was a friendship, an opportunity, something you really wanted, or maybe it was something you thought would make you happy. But then God said no. And honestly, that can be really, really hard. Because sometimes trusting God when he says yes is really, really easy because you know what you have and you know what you want. But when God answers your prayer the way you want it, it's easy to praise him for it. But what about when the answer is no? And what about when you prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed, but things didn't go the way you hoped? That's why we're talking about today when God says no for her. Because even through a no from God, even though it can hurt, we have to remember something really, really important. God's no is never because he doesn't love us. And there's this saying when God closes a door, he opens a window. And there's always a better yes at the end of the road. But point one, God n God's no does not mean he doesn't care. Sometimes we can feel like, God, why did you give why didn't you give me what I asked for? Don't you care? But the truth is, God cares way more than anyone else ever could. And he has a plan in advance. So that no is super important. Think about a little kid who wants to do something dangerous. A loving parent might say no. Not because they want to ruin all their fun, but because they know something the child doesn't know. The child only sees what they want right now, but the parent sees the bigger picture, and God is the same way with us. My parents have done that many times, and even though I don't understand, like, yeah, my parents don't allow me to have a phone yet, and I want one so so bad, so so so so bad, but they still won't let me, and I know they have their reasons, so I'm trying to be patient, but it is hard, I'll say that. And they see the things and they see how it can be dangerous for a three thirteen year old. Um, but yeah, and just like our parents, God sees things we don't see, and he knows things we don't know, and he loves us enough to say no when something isn't best for us. Proverbs three, five, and six says, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not into thine own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge him, and she he shall direct thy paths. Sometimes we won't understand why God says no, but we can still trust him. Point two, God sees what we can't see. Have you ever wanted something so badly, and then later you look back and thought, wow, I'm actually thankful that didn't happen. I think we've all had moments like that. Sometimes we're so focused on what we want right now and we forget God sees the whole picture, but we only see today, and God sees tomorrow, next year, and even things we don't know are coming. God isn't trying to take something good away from you. He's trying to give you something better in the long run. Sometimes he's protecting you from something you don't even realize you need protection from. Isaiah 55, 8 through 9 says, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. God's plans are bigger than ours. Even when we don't understand, we can trust that he does. Point three, God still hears you when the answer is no. Sometimes when God says no, we start thinking, maybe God didn't hear me, maybe he doesn't care, maybe I didn't pray hard enough. But that's not true. God hears every prayer you pray. He hears the prayers you say out loud, the ones you say in your heart, he hears you when you're happy, and he hears you when you're hurting. First John 5.14 says, and this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us. This verse doesn't say God gives us everything we ask for. It says he hears us. And sometimes the loving answer from God is not what we wanted, but it's what we needed. Point four, even people in the Bible heard no from God. Sometimes we think if I was maybe a better Christian, maybe would God maybe God would answer my prayer. But that's not true. Even amazing people in the Bible had prayers that God answered differently than they wanted wanted. Paul prayed for God to remove a struggle from his life, but God said no. Instead, God reminded him that his grace was enough. Second Corinthians twelve nine, and he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. God didn't remove Paul's struggle, but he gave Paul the strength to get through it. Sometimes God doesn't change our situation. Sometimes he changes us through the situation. That's why God sometimes makes us go through something to help someone else who's going through that and help change us so we can help change other people. And also, Jesus, when he was in the garden, or somewhere, I think he was in the garden, he prayed, If this be your will, let this suffering pass away from me when he was about to be crucified. And God said no, but look at us now, we couldn't be saved if it wasn't for his sacrifice. And point five, God's no can lead to something better. When God says no, it can feel disappointing. And you might wonder, why didn't God let this happen? Why didn't he answer my prayer? We have to remember that God knows what's best for us. Maybe he's protecting you, preparing you, maybe he's leading you somewhere better, and he's done that with me lots and lots and lots of times. I pray for something I thought was good in the moment, and then down the road he gave me something way, way better, and I thank him for it every day. Romans 8 28 says, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. This is a good verse to remember anytime you pray for something and God says no. God can take situations we don't understand and use them for his purpose. One day you might look, you might look back and realize, God, thank you for saying no. And I know that seems hard for you to say now, but it'll help in the long run. So here's my closing thought. If you're listening today and you're struggling because God said no to one of your prayers, I want you to remember this. God's no is not him forgetting about you. God's no is not him loving you less, and God's no is not him trying to hurt you. Sometimes God says no because he loves you too much to give you something that isn't best for you. So even when you don't understand his answer, choose to trust his heart. Because the same God who says no is the same God who loves you more than you could ever imagine. His way is always the best way, and he has the bigger picture, and you don't. Okay, well, that's all for this week. I hope you enjoyed learning about when God says no and how to deal with it. Make sure to check out our Instagram page at FaithfullyHeard Podcast. This has been Joyce Dansel, and I'll see you next week on the Faithfully Her Podcast. Bye.