When God Tells You NO
“Trust in God at all times…..” Psalm 62:8
I have cried out to the Lord for YEARS to give me relief in caring for 15 to 20 mostly special needs and senior rescued dogs at a time. I have sobbed, yelled, cursed, threatened, and BEGGED Him to send me physical help, adoptive homes, an end to behavioral issues, more money to better care for them, healing for the ones like immediate family to me, and an end to the smell, mess and run-down house. He answered. Almost no adoptive homes. No physical help. Some of the few adopted returned. MORE behavioral issues. Not enough money for ideal care. Tragic loss after loss of my favorites. More smell, mess, run-down house. All the while, almost relentless emotional pain, day after day, from years of personal challenges. I have lost years of my life from personal challenges coupled with dog-related stress. How can God not answer my cries? But He is! He is saying NO. NO, He won’t end the exceeding emotional pain and circumstances causing it. NO, He won’t give me the relief I crave with the dogs. Not yet anyway. But WHY?
God ALWAYS knows what He’s doing, and He wants us to trust Him at ALL times – even when we can’t see and understand and don’t like our circumstances. We are so prone to look at our circumstances we may neglect to realize how He might use our circumstances to perfect His love in us and conform us to Christ’s image. No matter my circumstances, I know God has a plan in and through this greater than I can imagine. Rather than run from Him, I choose to trust Him and press even harder into Him. The greatest gift in the midst of it all is I can grow ever closer to Him! If God is saying NO to you about something, choose to trust Him and seek and follow Him all the more!