When God says “No,” it is often perplexing. It is a jolt, a bitter blow to the heart. It is often disappointing and disillusioning – why? God often calls us to let go of the things we thought were his will and move forward in faith, not knowing what shape our futures will take.
I don’t know about you, but I often tend to see the world (and even God’s will) in terms of what I want and don’t want, rather than what God has or has not called me to. When I am focused on my own desires, God has ceased to be at the center of my thought life.
Our desires are not always a foreshadowing of things to come, but a tool in humility that God uses to drive us to greater dependence on him. I have often found that when I begin to let go of deeply rooted desires, I feel a cavern within my soul, an emptiness. It is a part of my heart that I have filled with something other than God. Lord, may you fill every part of our hearts and desires!
Part of allowing God to direct our hearts is letting go of the page He is turning and entrust our decisions and affections to the will of God. Sometimes His will can be a mystery and sometimes it can be characterized by the heartache of a “No” even to the good desire of marriage.
Let not your heart grow “sick” because God has closed a door you hoped would be opened; remember that your hope has been secured through the finished work of Jesus Christ. If He was faithful to redeem your soul from death, He will be faithful to bring good and hope from your disappointments!
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” –Romans 15:13
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