When God says "No"

by Timothy Howe

David had a plan.

As David was living in his palace, he devised a plan to do something special for God. In his mind, David was doing a good thing. He was seeking very earnestly  to provide for God as best he knew how. 

His plan served God. He sought to provide a more pleasurable setting for God to be worshiped. His 

plan esteemed God. He sought to provide what he felt was a more honorable environment to worship God than a tent. 

His plan remembered God. He sought to provide recognition for what God had done in his life. The temple would be his personal testimony of the greatness of God.

God rejects David’s plan.

To David's surprise, God told him "no" through the prophet Nathan. This even caught Nathan off-guard. Here David was wanting to do something good for God and God refused. Furthermore, he did not give a completely satisfactory answer to David why he was not permitted to build the temple. God indicated that he does not want to be limited in terms of location, prestige or power in the manner that attaching his presence to a permanent building might be. Yet, he would later permit the temple to be built, so this is not all that there is to it.

Why God says "No"

Through the biblical story there are many times that God says "no" to people. 

God says "no" because of wrongdoing.

Sometimes in the Bible God does not permit something to happen because the person who is at work has done something wrong, what we call sin. God did not permit Adam and Eve to live in the garden because they disobeyed. He did not permit Moses to enter the Promised Land because he struck the rock. 

God says "no" because of abdication.

Sometimes in the Bible God does not permit something to happen because the person who is at work has given up the right for a "yes" answer. Esau gave up his birthright in a moment of thoughtlessness and later when he was ready to receive it, the answer from the Lord was "no, it is now Jacob's birthright." Moses gave up the right to speak before Pharaoh and so Aaron became the spokesperson.

God says "no" because of lack of understanding.

Sometimes in the Bible God does not permit something to happen because the person who is at work does not fully comprehend what is that they are asking. James and John approached Jesus about sitting at his right and left in His kingdom. Jesus tells them that they do not know what they are asking. 

God says "no" because of something better.

Sometimes in the Bible God does not permit something to happen because He has something better in store than is visible at the moment. People approached John the Baptist to see if he was the Messiah. He pointed them to the one who was coming. Several times the disciples asked Jesus if He was going to inaugurate His kingdom at that time. They did not know about  the Cross, Redemption or Pentecost. 

Is God telling you "no" right now? 

If He is, look beyond it and try to determine why. God's ways are beyond our ways. His wisdom is perfect where ours is limited. He sees eternity, we see only the present. He understands the consequences of every single action, we cannot. If God is telling you "no" prepare for what He telling to do right now.