When God Says "No"

Few of us pray to God hoping He will say "No" to our requests.  But like every good parent, our Heavenly Father knows when to say "No."  Can you imagine what life would have been like as a kid if every time you asked for something your parents said "Yes?"  I doubt such a parent could possibly have any respect from their children.  Because of immaturity and limited vision, kids desire all sorts of things that would ruin them.  A loving parent will do what's best for their kids, even if kids don't want the best for themselves.

Scriptures demonstrates time and time again that God said "No" to many of His faithful followers.  After Moses sinned in Meribah, he begged that God would allow him into the Promised Land.  God sternly told him no and forbade Moses to bring up the subject again (Deut. 3:26).  King David desired to build God a house, but God told him no.  When David's infant son was sick and he prayed and fasted for seven days before God, asking that his son might live, God said no.  The child died according to the word of Nathan the prophet (2 Samuel 12:18).  King Rehoboam desired to re-unite the kingdom under his rule and sought to fight against Jeroboam.  1 Kings 12:24 says, "Thus says the LORD: "You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me." Therefore they obeyed the word of the LORD, and turned back, according to the word of the LORD."  Just because God answers "No" does not mean our prayers are a waste.  God has heard and answered us according to His divine wisdom.

God says "Yes" but He also says "No."  It can be difficult for us to understand why God would ever say no to our requests.  Sometimes we find it impossible to grasp the things God chooses to allow.  The temptation grows to stand in judgment of God, a grave sin.  In those times we must firmly fix our feet upon the everlasting promises of God, recalling His character as revealed through scripture.  God is good.  All He does is right.  He is trustworthy and true.  He does not change.  Isaiah 55:6-9 says, "Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. ⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. ⁸ "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. ⁹ "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."  Let us not be as foolish children who become angry when their loving parent tells them "No."

Even when God says "No" we can take heart that our prayers have been heard.  Did you know there are prayers that will always be answered with the affirmative?  2 Corinthians 1:18-21 says, "But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. ¹⁹ For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us--by me, Silvanus, and Timothy--was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. ²⁰ For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. ²¹ Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God."  All the promises of God in Him are "Yes!"  He will give salvation to all who repent and believe (John 3:16, Luke 24:45-47).  He will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him (Luke 11:13).  He will forgive our sins (1 John 1:9).  When we pray according to His will He hears us and we can know we have what we have requested of Him (1 John 5:14-15).

When God says "No," recall to mind all the times He has said "Yes!"  If a parent says "No" a child does not doubt the love of their parent.  Let us refuse to allow our circumstances to cause us to question God's love for us.  Never forget sometimes it is through a "No" genuine love is best shown.

What About Drinking Alcohol?

During my reading this morning I came across Deuteronomy 29:6 when God spoke to His people:  "You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or similar drink, that you may know that I am the LORD your God."  This is an interesting connection.  God sustained His people with manna from heaven when they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.  They did not have access to wine or fruit of the vine and there was a purpose:  "that you may know that I am the LORD your God."  When I read this, it brought to mind a sermon delivered in 2013 by pastor Joe Focht called, "What About Alcohol?"  It is a great sermon that holds forth a biblical perspective on drinking:  it's not about how far we can safely go with drinking, but that we should labour instead to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Let me say that we have liberty in Christ to eat and drink whatever we want.  Personally, I take to heart the teachings given by Lemuel's mother in Proverbs 31:3-7 when she says, "Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings. ⁴ It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink; ⁵ lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the justice of all the afflicted. ⁶ Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those who are bitter of heart. ⁷ Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more."  Alcohol is a destroyer of kings and poor alike.  As a child of God, there is a crown and a throne in my future.  God has made me a king and priest unto Him, having purchased and washed me in the blood of Jesus Christ.  Therefore in my own life, I am convinced the drinking of alcohol has no place.  I was not always of this persuasion.  It needs to be a decision every Christian makes for themselves as convinced by the Holy Spirit.  Let everyone be fully convinced in their own mind, taking great care not to stumble others by the exercise of our liberty.

"Jesus drank wine!" some protest.  "Jesus made wine from water!"  Then others will quote Paul's words in 1 Timothy 5:23:  "No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities."  The context is more for medicinal purposes, not for social lubrication.  And how much is a little?  That's the big question for some.  A little wine can lead to a little more - with increased frequency.  Little by little a slide occurs.  Too much wine never draws a man closer to God but does the exact opposite.  Ephesians 5:18-21 says, "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ submitting to one another in the fear of God."  Instead on focusing on how much alcohol is too much, every Christian ought to put into practice the exhortation given here by Paul.  We need to be filled with the Spirit, glorifying God with our speech, giving thanks for all things, and submitting to one another in the fear of God.  Like pastor Joe says, "To reach this generation...we don't need a church with a little bit more wine in them to get the job done:  we need a church that's got more of the Holy Ghost in them to turn the world upside down."

When you start breaking your own rules concerning alcohol, dear believer, you give place to the devil.  When you feel convicted about drinking; if you feel you need to hide the bottles from your spouse, kids, or parents; if you find you are leading a double life, beware.  Take care you do not cause others to stumble, be offended, or even weak in the exercise of your liberty (Romans 14:21).  It would be better for a millstone to be hung about your neck and for you to be thrown into the sea than to cause a little one to stumble.  Charles Spurgeon says on the subject:  "Drink first dims, then darkens, then deadens, then damns.  Drink injures a man externally, internally, and eternally." (Spurgeon's Proverbs and Sayings, Vol. 1, 140)  For me, the physical and spiritual implications of drinking far outweigh any physical benefit that could be possibly gained.  Praise the LORD for the freedom we have to glorify God, even sometimes by saying "No thanks."  All things done or avoided for God's glory will not be without eternal reward!

The 1828 Webster's Dictionary

One of my Bible study aids is from a most unexpected source:  the 1828 Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language.  What makes this volume different from modern dictionaries is Noah Webster's definitions spring from a biblical worldview.  It is interesting to me that you will not find the words "automobile," "radio," or "telephone" within the pages because those modern advances were not yet invented.  At the same time, the text is largely free from encroachment of worldly philosophy and politically correct speech which has emasculated and convoluted the original meaning of words.  Here is one of my favourite examples when comparing modern definitions to those given in Webster's 1828 dictionary:

"Duty" as defined by dictionary.com:

1. Something that one is expected or required to do by moral or legal obligation.
2. The binding or obligatory force of something that is morally or legally right.
3. An action or task required by a person's position or occupation; function.
4. The respectful and obedient conduct due a parent, superior, elder, etc.
5. An act or expression of respect.

"Duty" as defined by Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary:

1.  That which a person owes to another; that which a person is bound, by any natural, moral, or legal obligation, to pay, do or perform.  Obedience to princes, magistrates and the laws is the duty of every citizen and suject; obedience, respect, and kindness to parents are duties of children; fidelity to friends is a duty; reverence, obedience and prayer to God are indispensable duties; the government and religious instruction of children are duties of parents which they cannot neglect without guilt.
2. Forbearance of that which is forbid by morality, law, justice or propriety.  It is our duty to refrain from lewdness, intemperance, profaneness and injustice.
3. Obedience; submission.
4. Act of reverence or respect.
5. The business of a soldier or marine on guard..
6. The business of war; military service.
7. Tax, toll, impost, or customs; excise; any sum of money required by government to be pain on the importation, exportation, or consumption of goods. 

What a difference in substance and tone!  In the modern definition of duty, there is little said about what the duties of people include.  Using the scripture as a guide, Webster objectively states not only what "duty" is but what our duties are.  He does not say it as his own opinion but as fact.  He can do this only because he has enlisted the scriptures as his guide to define words which explain a moral position achieved through an understanding of God and His righteous precepts.  Words like "sin" and "judgment" are explained thoroughly, grounded in scriptural truth.  Clear definitions of words according to God's revealed truth has never been more important than today.  If the foundations of language are destroyed, what can the righteous do?

Burn the Boats

When I sensed the call of God to move to Australia, I didn't have a calendar with times and dates filled in.  There was no doubt about the call, but I had no clue about how or when it would happen.  I didn't know where our family would be going.  I didn't know how long the process would take.  I didn't know how long God would allow us to live in Australia.  The only thing I knew was that God had called me and my family to go.  Our part was to obey God by going through the open door He would sovereignly reveal to us in His time.

The process ended up taking many years.  During that process, my wife Laura and I had discussed and were in agreement of one thing:  we would burn the boats.  While there is apparently debate concerning the origin of this idiom - whether it best describes the approach of the Romans, conquistador Cortez, or someone else - there is little debate of the meaning.  It means the point of no return has been reached.  There would be no retreat for the band of men who traveled by boat to the land of their enemies.  The boats were burned to prevent anyone from using the boats as a means of escape should things prove difficult.  In poker terminology, it means you are "all in."  The entire chip stack has been pushed to the middle of the table and nothing has been left in reserve.

Our family has deep roots in San Diego.  All of my family lives within miles of each other and Laura's did too.  For us, burning the boats meant selling our house.  Should we have continued to rent out the house, there would have remained a potential home for us to return to if things became hard.  God's directive to Abram in Genesis 12:1 hit home:  "Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you."  It was not without the promise Jesus gives in Mark 10:29-30:  "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, ³⁰ who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time--houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions--and in the age to come, eternal life."  We needed God to move our hearts for Australia long before our feet touched Australian soil.  Selling our house was a big Ebenezer for us.  The miraculous way God ordained the sale only confirmed we were walking in obedience to His will.

When the children of Israel were taken to a foreign land, God told them to settle down, build houses, and plant vineyards.  They were to put their roots deep where He placed them - even against their will.  They didn't want to be in Babylon!  They wanted to be in the land God had given their fathers by lot.  They were to labour to be fruitful in the place God had established them.  Whether you are in the mission field or chomping at the bit to go, put down your roots where God has you now.  Jeremiah 29:5-7 says, "Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. ⁶ Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters--that you may be increased there, and not diminished. ⁷ And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace." God had an expected end for His people, one which He would be faithful to accomplish in due time.  You can be sure He will do so for you as well.

Is it wrong for a missionary to rent out their home while they are on the mission field?  Absolutely not!  But for us it was an act of faith that we believed God would establish our family in Australia, even as He had been faithful to do in San Diego.  Should we have kept the house, it would have signaled our lack of faith in God's provision.  It would have provided temptation to return when we faced persecutions or trials.  In no way do I condone being caviler or reckless, testing God to conform to our short-sighted will.  We are called to be good stewards of God's gifts. But if God tells us to sell in a buyer's market we should do it - even if holding onto a house may make it more valuable in the future.  Is God's hand shortened He cannot provide?  If we hold onto our old life, we will not be able to enter into the new one God has prepared for us.  We do not need a "fall-back plan" or a pathetic safety net when God is our true foundation and support.

Do you find yourself looking back, thinking about the returning to that sea-worthy boat left on the beach so you might head back to what is familiar?  This principle can be applied to far more than just houses but careers, employers, and countless other things which tempt us away from walking in faith.  The man who puts his hand to the plow and looks back cannot plow straight.  Our call is to be as Paul who forgot the things which were behind and was pressing forward to the finish line!  As long as we have a contingency strategy, we are hindered in advancing where God has us now.  It is time to burn those boats and push all in!  In the same way we are called to leave all behind to follow Christ, so we must answer the call to step out in faith concerning our calling.  God will be faithful to His promise.