Sometimes God Says, "No"

What do you do when God's answer to your prayer is no? We don't often think about that, do we?

Just recently I was talking with an inmate in my office and he was sharing with me something he had been praying about for some time. He was very sincere in his desire. There was nothing wrong with his request. He was full of faith. After hearing him out, I asked, "What if God's answer is no?"
I think that thought startled him. It caught him off guard. "Man, I've never thought about that. Do you think God could say no, chaplain?"

Of course God can say no. Remember the Apostle Paul and his "thorn in the flesh"? Three times he asked God to remove the thing that troubled him so. And God's answer was, "No, Paul." Actually, God's answer was, "My grace is sufficient for you." But that's really a nice, polite way of saying, "No."

What do we do when God's answer is no? I believe how I react when God says no really defines my relationship with Him. How I handle God's no, and what I do at that point says a lot about my faith. Do I really trust Him? If it's always about God doing what precisely I want when I pray, it's really not a relationship. It's more like going to Walmart. I always come out with what I want.

I like Paul's reaction to God's no. "Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me." Paul chose to trust God. He chose to carry on. We need to learn the same.