Sometimes God says no to our most earnest requests. We plead, we bargain, we pour out our hearts’ deepest desire and still he doesn’t give us the answer we long for. Other times his answer is wait. And sometimes we’ve already waited an excruciatingly long time as it is.
These answers of no and wait—and wait some more—can really hurt. After all, we’re not talking about casual, wouldn’t-it-be-nice kinds of requests. We’re talking about earnest requests. Requests born of desperation, heartache, and deep need. So when our deepest desires are not granted, the accompanying pain and disappointment run deep as well.
What we may not realize is that God’s painful no or wait may in fact be a painful mercy. He alone knows all the results a yes might bring. He alone knows the future. When it appears he’s withholding our heart’s desire, he instead may be saving us from an even greater grief.
What if we could see into the future, could see what God sees? Maybe we would see a turn of events after an answer of yes that would be more devastating than the current answer of no or keep waiting. We might see that God’s no was indeed a painful mercy.
It all boils down to trust, doesn’t it? Even when the answers we want don’t come, will we trust God? Will we continue to believe that he loves us and has good things in store for us? Will we acknowledge that he may be planning to give us something even better than our original request?
Don’t get me wrong—trust is not a pat answer. Trust doesn’t negate the pain. But it does bring peace. It does keep hope alive. It does acknowledge that God alone knows the future and that he will indeed walk with us through any times of painful mercy.
“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10 NIV
*Have you experienced a painful mercy in your life?
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*For info about my books Christmas for the Heart: 25 Devotions Reclaiming the Beauty and Wonder of the Season and Mother of the Bride check out my Books/My Work page.
*Flickr photo by minniemouseaunt, Creative Commons License