What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open. -Revelation 3:7
I was just thanking God for all the no’s that He’s spoken over my life. For all the times He’s held me back, for all the times He’s prohibited me, for all the times He’s put roadblocks in my way, and totally shut the door in my face!
The scripture says that all the promises of God find their “yes” in Jesus, but it also says that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and a Good Shepherd cares for the sheep.
A Good Shepherd cares enough to say no.
A Good Shepherd doesn’t let the sheep just wander off and do their own thing. A Good Shepherd watches out for every single sheep that’s under His care.
When Jesus says no, it’s just as important as when He says yes. One is not better than the other. Often times it’s because Jesus says no that we’re able to actually come into the yes that He has for us.
Many of the things that He has said no to in our life are actually decoys presented by the enemy of our souls. Jesus has the real thing for us, but in order to get there we need to say no to the dangling lure before our eyes.
To put it bluntly, sometimes Jesus knows that we’re just too stupid to say no! So He takes His staff, puts it around our neck, and pulls us back! He jerks us back. When He does that it can feel severe! It’s jarring! But it’s no different than a mother yelling at her child who’s about to cross into traffic and suddenly grabs her arm and jerks her back. The child is merely going along her way when suddenly it feels like her arm is going to be dislocated! Does she like it? Hardly. But she gets to live another day because of it. We have no idea what God has spared us from because He’s done the same thing in our lives.
I’m convinced some of the greatest blessings in my life have been because God didn’t give me what I wanted. He simply said no. Most of the time He didn’t bother explaining why He said no either. He just refused me, closed the door, and that was the end of the story.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD -Isaiah 55:8