When I was a little girl, I would ask my mom every single Sunday if I could have a friend come over and play after church. Sometimes she would give up her Sunday afternoon nap and let them, but sometimes she would tell me, “No.” I did not understand why she wouldn’t let them come. It did not make any sense whatsoever to me. When really she knew that we all needed to rest those Sundays because we had stayed up late the night before, and I had school the next day. My mom was looking out for me, even though I did not understand why her answer was, “No.”
When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He was praying to God, “Father, if it be Your Will, let this cup pass from me. But not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus did not want to die on the cross for us; He didn’t want to do it, and He asked God if there was any other way that He could save us from our sins. But... God said, “No.” God even told His own Son that He couldn’t have something He requested. But because God told Jesus, “No,” we have HOPE! It all worked out for the better of humanity for the rest of time for those who believe in Him.
Sometimes God is going to tell us, “No.” We may not understand it then; we may do every single thing in our power to make the answer not be “No,” but the Will of God will prevail. We just have to trust Him, His timing, His omniscience, and His promise—promise that no matter how hard this life gets, Heaven will surely be worth it all.
So when the answer is, “No,” be okay with it. Don’t try to change it. Jesus could have easily called ten thousand angels and set Himself free, but He didn’t. He didn’t change God’s answer. He trusted in Him and trusted that this was the only way that we could be saved. We should be so so grateful because of that.
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