Every "No" from God is a "Yes" Somewhere Else

2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭20,‬ ‭ESV‬‬

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

Yes and amen. 

Yes and so be it. 

Every “no“ from God is because there is a “yes” somewhere else.

When we feel disappointment with God, it’s not because of his action, it’s because of what we perceive as his inaction.

But there’s no such thing. God is always at work. 

We see this all throughout the Bible. Every “inaction” is because there’s an action coming somewhere else: 

• The Israelites—God “let them hunger” (Deuteronomy 8:3) in the wilderness so He could feed them with supernatural food.

• Hannah—God did not open her womb for years because He was going to open it at a divinely appointed time.

• Elijah—God did not stop the brook from drying up because He was going to send him to a widow in Zarephath who needed a miracle.

• Daniel—God did not stop him from being thrown into the lions’ den because He was going to shut the mouths of the lions to reveal His power to a pagan king.

• Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego—God did not stop them from being thrown into the fiery furnace because He was going to show up in the fire and, again, reveal Himself to a pagan king.

• The Disciples—Jesus did not stop the storm, He did not rush to them when he saw them “straining at the oar,” because He was going to reveal to them that He could walk on water (and so could they).

• Lazarus—Jesus did not heal him because He was going to resurrect Him and use the events to propel the plan of God into motion.

• Paul—God did not stop his ship from wrecking because He was going to reveal Himself to a ship full of prisoners and an island full of people.

We’re part of a story much bigger than our own. So every perceived inaction of God in our lives is because there’s an action coming somewhere else. Every “no” is because there’s a “yes” somewhere else. 

Oh Lord, thank you that we can trust your sovereignty and your promises. Please help us to trust you. Please help us to accept your “no’s” in faith that your plan is good and perfect. Amen.