When God Says 'No'

“Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons.”. I Samuel 16:1

“But Dad, everyone is doing it…..” Every parent has heard those words and most of us have our own version of a response. In our house, I would often say in response, ‘But you aren’t everyone’s kid, you are mine and you won’t be doing it….’ As a parent, I could see the big picture much better than my child even though my ‘no’ wasn’t always popular with our children.

In the same way, the prophet Samuel had a difficult time accepting God’s decision about King Saul. Both in 1 Samuel 15:35 and again in the verse above, we are told that Samuel grieved over Saul. God had rejected Saul and yet Samuel was still grieving, hanging on as it were.

As I read this verse it struck me that so often I too am not willing to let go when my Heavenly Father has said no to something in my life. Like Samuel, I grieve over it and don’t move on. “But God, if only……”. Samuel needed to be admonished by God to move forward and anoint David as king.

In the same way, I have to learn to accept what God is doing in my life today and trust that He does in fact know best. I can know that He is at work in my life, and as Romans 8:28 reminds me, ‘God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.’

Have you been grieving over something that God has clearly said no too? Do you too need to let go and accept God’s voice in your life and thank Him for what He is doing right now? Know that Your Heavenly Father loves you and has only your best interests in mind. He wants to be at work in your life.

Heavenly Father, may I be quick to hear your voice and recognize when you are saying ‘no’. Help me to accept everything as being from Your hand and be thankful for all that You have allowed in my life, to mold me and make me more like Jesus. Amen.

Action Step:

What is it that you haven’t wanted to receive from God’s hand in your life? Can you identify an area where you have felt that you know better than He does what is best for you? Commit everything to Him today and thank Him that He does know best and is at work in your life.