When God Says NO... 😮

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24, NIV) https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MRK.11.24.NIV 

This verse is just sitting there in the Bible…Jesus Himself said it! 🫨

It’s a shame you haven’t believed it until now. I’m just going to boldly assume that, because if you really believed it, you would probably be praying nonstop.

After all, the short version of this verse is: “Pray and God will give it to you!”

Well... that’s one way you could understand it. But unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple. Sorry if I’m disappointing you now. 

Two verses before this one, Jesus says something important: “Have faith in God.” (Mark 11:22, NIV)  

He did not ask us to have faith in our own faith, or in our own prayers. That is a huge difference!

Real faith is not believing that God has to do what I want, but the conviction that I have placed my request into the hands of a God I can trust.

What if an unanswered prayer is actually an answered prayer?

What if God’s “No” to your request is, at the same time, His “Yes” to something better?

Jesus Himself prayed shortly before His crucifixion: “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me…” (Luke 22:42, NLT)  

And then He added: “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Luke 22:42, NLT) 

Why didn’t God answer the prayer of His own Son the way Jesus had asked? Because He had a far greater plan...

Maybe today, you are looking back at a prayer and still wondering why God didn’t answer it.

Can you choose to trust Him with it today? Because maybe that unanswered prayer is actually the answer.

I can personally confirm:

Sometimes God’s NOsAre the greatest YES I didn’t see at first.

You are a miracle!