WHEN GOD SAYS “NO”
2 Samuel 7: 1-13

           Under most circumstances, people do not usually like to hear the word “no”. Human beings are creatures of gratification—we know what we want, and we want it now. To hear “no” is a threat to our desire for gratification. It also gives rise in us a host of potential negative reactions. Think about the last time you heard a child being told “no”. How did the child react? If it was a younger child, my guess is that a temper tantrum could have ensued. As we get older, our reaction to being told no might be less obvious, but something deep within us wants to throw a fit, or at least get a reasonable answer as to why we were told “no”.

           Our text today presents us with an encounter between God and King David, mediated by the prophet Nathan. I’m not going to presume all of us know David’s story, so let’s fill in the gaps a bit. David was the one chosen by God to take the place of Saul after Saul fell out of favor with God. David was the youngest of Jesse’s sons and a shepherd of his father’s flocks when Samuel, at the direction of God, anointed David to be the next leader of Israel. It was David who stood up to the giant Goliath, defeating him and, subsequently, all of Israel’s enemies. It was David who returned the Ark of the Covenant (the symbol of God’s presence) to Israel after it was carried off by the Philistines. When we pick up the story, he is the king over all Israel and Israel has been granted rest from its enemies. David decides that it is not appropriate for the Ark to remain in a tent while David has the finest, grandest dwelling place in Israel. Yet God tells David “no”.

           It seems puzzling why God would deny David’s request—why God would essentially tell David, “not so fast”. After all, David’s motives (at least on the surface) seem pure and his seems to be an act of love and devotion to God. After all, didn’t God deserve such a dwelling? Yet all that is said to David, and us, is that it was not a part of God’s plan for David to build this dwelling place for God. It is that response by God that makes this passage important and relevant for any person of faith. It is important because it asks us to consider how we would react to God telling us “no”.

           I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that all of us have prayed, and, at some point, our prayers were not answered in the way we would like. When those times come, it often is a shock to our spiritual system. When we pray, we do so with the assumption or the hope that God will give us what we are asking for. However, we must remember that God is not our “cosmic butler” there do our bidding. We must remember that God does have a plan, and there are times when the human desires are outside God’s plan. This becomes especially painful, though, when those things we desire from God are, by and large, good things. Consider those who have difficulty conceiving or bearing children. The human part of us wants to ask, maybe scream, “Why?” Why wouldn’t God grant this request? Consider those who are searching for a job. Why wouldn’t God enable a person to find a job that utilizes their talents, as well as provide for physical needs? What about those who cry out to God for someone who is suffering or for a life that seemingly fades away as it is blooming? There are all sorts of occasions when we might question God’s “no”. The text, in veiled ways, offers a bit of guidance for those times when God tells us “no”.

           The first bit of guidance is to wait for God. Waiting is not something that many humans take to easily. Speaking for myself, I get quite cranky and irritable when I have to wait longer than I believe I should. Perhaps some of you are the same way. There are times, though, that God’s response to us not a definitive “no”, but a “not yet”. We often forget that God is not bound by the human conception of time. Because of this, there are times when it seems like God is telling us “no”, but, in reality, God is telling us “not yet”. In the psalms, David writes, “I waited for the Lord on high; while I was waiting, the Lord heard my cry”. God asks us to wait for God and to not get ahead of God’s program. As difficult as it may be to believe or to stomach, God is in control and God does know what is going on. While we wait, though, we can take peace from the words of Paul in Romans 8, “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love God and are called according to God’s promise”. Just because God may tell us “not yet” doesn’t mean that God has abandoned us; it might mean that the timing is not perfect for all the good desires to work in and through us.

           While we are waiting on God, we take from the Scripture the encouragement to remain faithful. It would have been easy for David to get mad at God and question why God wouldn’t allow David to do what David desired. Yet David never did that. I want to invite you to take a look at vv. 18-29—we see there David’s response to God. Nowhere do we see David throwing a fit. Instead, David begins to praise God for God’s faithfulness to David and to Israel. He goes on express his own faith in God. So often, human beings take the notion of God’s faithfulness as meaning that God will give us exactly what we want, when we want it. David shows us that faithfulness to God is about remaining faithful, even when we don’t get exactly what we want. However, that faithfulness is not possible without the third bit of guidance offered by the Scripture.

           It would be impossible to have faith in God and remain faithful without trusting in God’s good and perfect will. The Scripture calls us to that trust, even when God tells us “no” or “not yet”. Trust is not contingent upon God fulfilling our wants, wishes, and demands or allowing us to do whatever we would like to do. Instead, trust is knowing that even when it seems like God is far away God is close at hand. Trust is knowing that even when it seems like God isn’t listening to us, God’s ear is always turned toward God’s children. Trust is knowing that when it feels like God isn’t providing what we want there is grace that is sufficient for our every need. As we grow in trust of God, we can realize that God’s “no” or “not yet” is God’s way of guiding us in another direction, opening another door for us, or teaching us God’s way.

           I am convinced that God desires the very best for each one of God’s children. There are times when what we want is different from what God knows what is best for us. There are times when, in order to get what we want, we are willing to settle for less than the best. God does not want us to settle. Because of that, God tells us “no” or “not yet”. It is God’s way of saying, “I have something better in store for you!” Never does God want us to withhold our prayers from God; God wants to hear what we want. There will be times when what we want is far less than what God desires us to have. That’s why God, at times, says “no”. May God’s blessings be upon us as we seek to live into God’s best for us and for our church. AMEN.

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