When God says No

[Ramez5]

This morning, I was reading my devotional book, Keeping a Quiet Heart. She said something so profound…and yet so true. Sometimes, you can do your very best…and yet the Lord will still let your ship run completely aground. You see it coming, and you think, “No Lord..You surely wouldn’t do that would you?”

Why does the Lord sometimes say NO for no discernible reason whatsoever? Why does he sometimes let a relationship simply not work. Why should a project fail?Why would he withhold from us some of the normal priceless moments of life…things that would seem to be our natural rights as a parent or grandparent. What about the birth of a child, marriage, health, etc. He promises to provide for every need…but he never promised to give us everything we desire or even to guarantee us the normal privileges of every day life.

Sometimes, as Elisabeth Elliott says it so well, we simply need pruning… but what struck me most was this possibility…

“Heaven is not HERE it’s THERE. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for.” Running aground then, is not the end of the world. But it helps to make the world a bit less appealing. It may even be God’s answer to, “Lead us not into temptation”—the temptation complacently to settle for visible things.” from Keep a Quiet Heart.

I thought of this the day I accidentally deleted a Windows Live album on Picasa web albums. All of my hard work…plunk..gone with one key. It will take weeks to repair and replace photos. I probably won’t replace them all. I couldn’t quite see why the Lord couldn’t have just stopped me before that last little key stroke. But he didn’t. It was really a small thing…a blog…compared to things like losing a loved one, or having a house sale fall through…or never getting pregnant. Those are all biggies to varying degrees. The Lord did get me on this though. Do I love HIM most? Am I spending more time with him…than on my blog? Is it really for him…or for me?


It’s very easy for me to enjoy life here. I LOVE life! I love making things, doing things, and spending time with my family. I love cleaning house and decorating…and taking photos. I love dates with hubby. But these are all temporary pleasures. My house could burn down tomorrow… I may have to quit sewing one day due to my circulation problems. I could lose a family member in a moment. It’s awful to think of. I’m glad the Lord reminded me that HE is jealous of my heart and affection. It was a painful lesson..but not as painful as it could of been.

I’m thanking the Lord for the blessings he’s given me..and enjoying every moment I have with those I love. But Lord, I’ll still love you, even if you take some of those things away. After all…It’s your kingdom that I want most! Thank you for letting some things run aground

[Mary Naeem]

Thanks Ramez