When God Says No

Then Job replied to the LORD:

2 "I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.

3 You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.

4 "You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.'

5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.

6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes."

This morning God used my cat to teach me a lesson. I had just gotten back from the gym and started fixing breakfast. Out cat Romeo, who is only compassionate in the morning when he thinks he might get some coffee creamer as a treat, was all over my feet and watching me cook breakfast. When my eggs were done I dumped them in the plate and started to wash out the skillet in the sink. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw Romeo on the counter getting ready to walk right across the ceramic top of our range.

I Shouted “Romeo No!” Though it startled him he barely slowed down. The dish brush was full of water; desperate to make him stop I flung the water from the brush right at his face. Romeo jumped down from the stovetop and ran to the couch put his paws on it and looked back at me almost as if he wanted to punish me for throwing water at him, by doing something I don’t like.

Then it hit me, Romeo doesn’t know that I was frantically trying to save him from danger. That the stove was still hot enough to hurt him very badly, it had only been off a matter of seconds. He doesn’t understand that sometimes when I say no it’s for his own good. If you have children then you know how often you have to say no to protect them. When they are young they can’t understand the dangers that you’re protecting them from, and as they get older they just think that you are trying to take their freedoms away.

God used that feline fiasco to remind me of a valuable lesson. Sometimes when God says no, He is protecting us, and what he commands he commands for a reason, it is better for us to obey them. We have to trust that he is God and knows what is best for our lives and that he has the power to do what he wills.

Job was a man who, even though he was righteous and didn’t deserve it, lost everything he had. He family and his friends tried to convince him that God was wrong and encouraged him to curse God and die. But because of his faith Job never turned his back on God. He learned through his experiences that God is good and in control of everything that humans face, and we must trust that God knows what is best for us, even when he says no.

At the end of the book of Job, when Job finally understands he says to God, “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” Job realized that God is loving and no matter what happens or how he answers us we know that he is always going to do what is best for us.

Today make sure that you are thankful for God’s leadership in your life, even when he says no or asks you to do something you aren’t comfortable with. Show him you’re thankful by doing something that will bring him Glory.

______________________________

• Don’t forget this Sunday is Easter and we have a great service planed and you will want to be a part of it.

• Have you thought of someone to invite to church next week? We have the greatest information in the world how to have eternal life in heaven, let’s be bold about sharing it.

• Don’t forget about the Easter egg hunt Saturday at 10:00. Bring lots of friends, a basket, and your camera it will be a blast!