“…while God does listen, knowing what He knows about us, and how well we take disappointment, often he'll find a way to save us all the heartache and trouble we unwittingly plead and beseech and continually pester him for; ever a loving, wise Father, he will just simply answer, “no,” by default, by not answering “yes.”― Connie Kerbs
I don't fully agree with this quote because I don't believe God gives answers as a default. I believe that God is intentional and purposeful with His answers to prayers. So His yes is yes and His no is no. No answer would either qualify is a no or a not now.
He is not a God of confusion but of clarity.
The other day, we were talking with our kids about apps on our phones, and my oldest wanted a certain app. We said no, and he responded, "I don’t know what the big deal is. I just want to try it, and if I don’t like it, I will delete it. No big deal." Despite his argument, we still said no…
We do our best to protect our kids from things, and there are times when they just don’t understand.
God does the same with us. When we go to Him in prayer about something, the answer may be no. We might wonder why, thinking, "I can try it at least and see. If it doesn’t work out, then okay… no big deal."
Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."
So, therefore, it is a big deal. He is protecting us from something, so the answer needs to be no.
No one likes to hear "no" or "not right now." We hope for a "yes," and when we're met with a "no," it can be discouraging. However, we need to learn to be okay with a "no" so that when a "yes" comes, we are confident in what God has for us.
It's like when kids and their friends get together and come up with what they think is a foolproof plan to ask their parents if they can stay at their friend’s house, or vice versa. We used to do this all the time with our parents and ended up disappointed because our plan failed. But when we do say yes, they run around so happy and excited because they get to continue with what they hoped for.
Sometimes we tell our kids "no," and they don’t understand the reasoning. The same goes for God; we don’t always understand the "why." In Isaiah 55:9, it says, "For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
We need to be confident in God to guide us.
Once, I prayed to return to a job, and God allowed it, opening the door. About four months later, He started stirring my heart for change. That change was to bring me back to the job I was at before I prayed for doors to open. He knew that I wanted to return to what I had known before in the job I had prayed for, so He allowed it. But He also knew that my time in the place He was moving me back to wasn’t ready yet, though the time was coming. So, that answer to prayer was more of a "yes," but for a little while, then I will bring you back.
The answer to prayer can be "yes," but don’t be surprised if something comes up and you have a change of heart. It's all about timing, and God’s timing is perfect. So, a "no" or a "yes" is all part of the plan, and it's all set in God’s timing.
Proverbs 16:3 says, "Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed."
Proverbs 16:9 states, "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps."