"Our true happiness is to be realized precisely through his refusals, which are always mercies." -Elisabeth Elliot
Refusal hurts. I know from experience. It crushes pride and any sort of self-satisfaction mindset.
But it is necessary; necessary for us to experience true happiness.
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of God's refusal is Jesus in the garden.
"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." -Luke 22:42
Jesus didn't want to die. He asked His Father to spare His life that night in Gethsemane. But as we know, God did take His life. But what did it bring? Eternal safety, ultimate joy, true happiness...to those who believe.
I know this is a pretty intense example of God's refusal, but it proves the same point. God refuses things so that we may see Him better. If we are given everything we want, our lives would be filled with so many "substitutions" for God. We would find our happiness in tangible, temporary things. God teaches us that He is all we need. Refusing us something doesn't mean that God doesn't care; it means that He has something better in store for us, something that will bring us far more happiness that what He refused us.
This poem was used in a sermon I read titled "When God Says No"
It's a good one, if you want to check it out, click here.
Tell Me Why
I sat beside a tiny crib and watched a baby die, and the parents slowly turned to me and said, "Preacher, tell us why?"
And I walked away from the nursery where still born babies lie, and a mother stretches out her empty arms and says, "Preacher, oh preacher, tell me why?"
I saw a young girl's burning tears and heard her lonely cry, as she held an unused wedding gown and said, "Preacher, oh preacher, tell me why?"
I heard the cancer patient say, "Tis gain for me to die." Then I looked at her husband crying and whispered to myself, "I wonder why?"
I've seen a father take his life and the widow stands near by, and the little children say, "Mom, we'll ask the preacher and he'll tell us why?"
I've seen a mother stand beside a little grave and cry, and though she never let me know I knew she wondered why.
I've heard an orphan family faintly say as they gazed up in the sky, "Though mom and dad have gone away, I think the preacher will tell us why."
So I tip-toed to my Father's throne, so timid and so shy, to say, "Dear God, some of your own, they're wanting to know why?"
Then I heard him say so tenderly, "Their eyes I will gladly dry, but they must look through faith today, tomorrow they will know why.
If now they find the reasons why their hopes have gone awry, in heaven they'll miss the joy of hearing me tells them why."
And so I find it pleases Him, whenever I can testify, I'll trust my God to do my best and wait and then He'll tell me why.
But it is necessary; necessary for us to experience true happiness.
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of God's refusal is Jesus in the garden.
"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." -Luke 22:42
Jesus didn't want to die. He asked His Father to spare His life that night in Gethsemane. But as we know, God did take His life. But what did it bring? Eternal safety, ultimate joy, true happiness...to those who believe.
I know this is a pretty intense example of God's refusal, but it proves the same point. God refuses things so that we may see Him better. If we are given everything we want, our lives would be filled with so many "substitutions" for God. We would find our happiness in tangible, temporary things. God teaches us that He is all we need. Refusing us something doesn't mean that God doesn't care; it means that He has something better in store for us, something that will bring us far more happiness that what He refused us.
This poem was used in a sermon I read titled "When God Says No"
It's a good one, if you want to check it out, click here.
Tell Me Why
I sat beside a tiny crib and watched a baby die, and the parents slowly turned to me and said, "Preacher, tell us why?"
And I walked away from the nursery where still born babies lie, and a mother stretches out her empty arms and says, "Preacher, oh preacher, tell me why?"
I saw a young girl's burning tears and heard her lonely cry, as she held an unused wedding gown and said, "Preacher, oh preacher, tell me why?"
I heard the cancer patient say, "Tis gain for me to die." Then I looked at her husband crying and whispered to myself, "I wonder why?"
I've seen a father take his life and the widow stands near by, and the little children say, "Mom, we'll ask the preacher and he'll tell us why?"
I've seen a mother stand beside a little grave and cry, and though she never let me know I knew she wondered why.
I've heard an orphan family faintly say as they gazed up in the sky, "Though mom and dad have gone away, I think the preacher will tell us why."
So I tip-toed to my Father's throne, so timid and so shy, to say, "Dear God, some of your own, they're wanting to know why?"
Then I heard him say so tenderly, "Their eyes I will gladly dry, but they must look through faith today, tomorrow they will know why.
If now they find the reasons why their hopes have gone awry, in heaven they'll miss the joy of hearing me tells them why."
And so I find it pleases Him, whenever I can testify, I'll trust my God to do my best and wait and then He'll tell me why.
"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." -Psalm 37:4
We can hold true to this verse. Refusal isn't complete rejection, it usually is God just trying to tell us that our timing for this desire isn't quite what He had in mind. Therefore, He denies it so that we may wait for Him and trust His timing.
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