Every summer St. Luke hosts a Wednesday night worship service at Zion Lutheran (a tiny little country church building off of 360th Street). And every summer I try to do a sermon series that’s a bit “off the beaten path.” This summer we’re engaging the subject of “When God Says No” in the Bible. It’s amazing how often God tells somebody “no” to a specific request and, it’s a bit encouraging. Most likely, you also have heard a “no” or two from God in your lifetime. If so, you’re in good company. Here’s a short list of important people and communities in the Bible who have heard God’s no: The Apostle Paul, Jesus, Moses, King David, the nation of Israel, and entire communities in Asia. Especially those first four. They are the Mt. Rushmore of important people in God’s story.
So why does the same God who, through Jesus says, “I will do whatever you ask in my name,” sometimes tell us no?
Well, for each person God’s reasons are different. The “no” Paul received protected Christ’s ability to spread the Gospel through Paul’s work. The “no” Jesus received purchased salvation for us on the cross. The “no” Moses received allowed Moses to spend his final years resting and recovering from the Exodus. The “no” King David received allowed the next king of Israel to play a bigger role in God’s story. The point is that God’s no’s are as creative and generative in His story (and ours) as His yes’s. And, oftentimes, God’s no to us is a yes to someone else.
A few of the questions this should make us ask are: “Are we as interested in understanding God’s no’s as we are in understanding His yes’s?” “Are we interested in engaging in the work God’s no’s call us toward?” “Are we interested in discovering who God’s no’s might be for? And, how they might actually be a yes for somebody else?” Rest assured, when God says no in the Bible, he is still enacting His gracious work among individuals and communities. The real question is, can we get past our need to hear a yes and be faithful to the unexpected—and maybe even unwanted—path God’s no is calling us toward?
If you get time this summer, go through stories of God’s no’s in the Bible. A quick google search will guide you to many of them. You’ll see people responding with faith, people pushing back, people pushing back and then responding with faith, and every other response in between. But you’ll always see God’s love for His people. And may those stories deepen our own awareness & ability to see God’s activity in His no’s inasmuch as we’re aware of God’s activity in His yes’s.
