The 40 Day Journey - Day 8 (When God says "No")

It's Thursday, which means it was a Moms in Prayer day. This week's attribute of God: He is able. We prayed 2 Corinthians 9:8 over each of our children:
"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed."

In the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, Nebuchadnezzar, the king, had made a 90 foot tall golden image. He demanded that everyone would bow and worship it when the music played.  Well, these three guys knew better than to worship anything but the One True God.  Long story short, they refused to bow to this idol and were found guilty.  The punishment: death by fiery furnace.

And this is their response:

"If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand O king.  But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." Daniel 3:17-18

We know that God did deliver them.  In fact Jesus was with them in that furnace and not one of them even smelled like smoke, let alone were scorched!  A true miracle.

What amazes me is the trust and faith these men had in God. From the tone of the text, we don't see panic or fear or pleading.  We see quiet confidence, that God is a God of miracles.  However, if God would have had said "No" to these three men, their trust in God would have been unwavering.

Is it enough to know that He is able?  That He is all powerful?  Even if He does not answer our requests the way we desire? Does our trust waver if He says "No"?

I wrote a blog last year titled "Benched".  I was really struggling with the direction and purpose God had for me, I felt like He was repeating "No" over and over again, leaving my heart breaking for unrealized dreams.

What I see now is that God was able to say yes to all of those requests.  But in His great love for me, He said "No".  I still have some of those same requests and His answer remains the same. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this life is not what I expected.

And now I wonder if possibly each time God says "No" just maybe it isn't my heart that is breaking, maybe it is my will...being traded for His.  He is able to make all things new, even my hopes and dreams.  Pretty soon maybe they will match, my dreams and His dreams for me, and then His answer will be "Yes".

Song: Healer by Planetshakers