Before Day 76 in Dr. Snyder’s book, he addresses “When God Says No.” Here’s an excerpt from that section:
“We discover that often God gets more accomplished with a no than a yes. If we had everything we asked for the minute we asked, then we probably wouldn’t learn very much from the crisis of the moment. God teachers us to depend on him by means of trouble and difficulty. Otherwise, if things were always an easy skate across the ice, we would never grow spiritually. Let’s face it, when things are going well, how easy is it to put God in the backseat and veer off on our own?”
The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.
–Psalm 135:6
Say what?! Does this mean God doesn’t have to do what I ask him to? Seriously, that is the mind set of some people but aren’t we blessed that God does whatever pleases him?
Dr. Snyder asks, “…So where’s the rejoicing in all this? In the simple fact that there could be no one more in our camp and ready to help, rescue, and bless than the One who does whatever he pleases. So what pleases him? To give us everything he has. He is delighted to hand over to us what he possesses—in this world and the next.
Does this mean we get whatever we want in life? No, he’s not so cruel. It means that we get whatever pleases him, namely, whatever is good for us and is according to his good pleasure, purpose, and plan. We can take comfort in the stubbornness of God, that part of his character that insists we arrive on the shores of his new heaven and new earth safe and sound, even if it means he has to say no to us ten thousand times in getting us there.”
TODAY’S PRAYER: Have you ever thought of thanking and praising God for his sovereignty, the fact that he does whatever he wants? Since nothing could ever be better for us, get excited about it and ask God for a mature grasp of what it means. When you do get it, it’ll change your life.
Photo by mhobl via Flickr
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