When God Says No
Have you heard the story of David? Not the one where he slays the giant. And not the one where he sleeps with another man’s wife and then has that man killed in battle. No, not even the one where his own son tries to steal his throne. I am talking about the time when he wanted to build God a house.
To summarize what is happening in 2 Samuel 7, David realizes that he is living in luxury, all while God had been residing in a tent.
“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’” (2 Sam. 7:5-7 NIV)
God’s response is basically “No, thank you.” Even though it was with good intentions, and even though it was a genuine desire for David to honor God, God said no.
There was a time in my life when I thought I too knew how best to honor God. It involved me working for the church that helped me find my faith and encouraged me to always actively pursue a relationship with God. It didn’t matter to me what I’d be doing, cleaning the restrooms was even at one time a real possibility. All I cared about was supporting the community that nourished my tiny seed of faith until its roots became so deep and unshakably strong. I wanted to help them, so they could continue to reach as many people as possible.
But just like he did with David, he said no. And it wasn’t even a soft no, where I could continue to be a part of this church. It was a hard no, where he moved me hundreds of miles away so there was no way around his answer.
But our good and faithful God didn’t just stop at No with David. God reminded David that he has been with him and the Israelites wherever they’ve gone. And he went on to promise to establish a forever kingdom through David’s offspring. God makes a covenant (an unbreakable vow) that will be fulfilled in Jesus. He provides hope to not only David and his people, but to all believers.
David’s response to God’s no should be our response when we hear it in response to one of our own prayers. He has seen the faithfulness of God throughout his life and does not question that God will keep this promise. He knows that if God says no, then he must have something much better planned.
The ironic part of my story is that if it wasn’t for my faith becoming strong through my connections to that community, I wouldn’t have responded like David. I would have done what I wanted to because I wanted to do it. It was a great idea, and so I honestly never could have imagined a better way of doing things.
Since I, too, knew what kind of God I served, I followed his guidance and left when he told me to leave.
David didn’t get to see the much better that God had planned for his dwellings. With Jesus’s death, the Holy Spirit was able to be within us all.
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16 ESV)
God didn’t need David to build him a house because he knew eventually we would all be in his house. That’s a better answer and a far greater place for him to stay than the most luxurious structure any person could build.
I, on the other hand, am on the precipice of seeing the much better that God had in store for me. Instead of cleaning toilets at our old church, I am helping to create social media content and lead Bible Studies at our new one. I am being used more directly to help others nourish their seeds of faith.
So the next time God answers one of your prayers with a no, remember that he is a promise keeper.
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” (Eph. 3:20 NIV)
Accept that God sees from a higher perspective and has a long-game strategy. He wants to give you immeasurably more than you could even think up. I only ask that you be open to seeing what better thing he has planned for you. Otherwise, you might be stuck scrubbing metaphorical toilets.
was a mental health therapist in the school system before becoming the full-time chaos coordinator for her family (aka stay-at-home mom). She and her husband have three young kids. Jess started writing in hopes that by sharing her stories and lessons learned, she can help others learn “the easy way.”
Photograph © Juan Cruz Mountford, used with permission
