When God says no

Category: Grace
Key Passage: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Speaker: Paul Chisgar
Date: June 7, 2024

I hope you believe that. And that’ll help you during tough times. All that I need is my Savior’s love. It’s a true statement, but we don’t always live like that. Great song. Thank you for it, brother. I appreciate it.

Turn your Bibles to 2 Corinthians chapter number 12. Second Corinthians chapter number 12 of God’s word. And just for a little while, we…

The Lord wants us to focus. It felt like it’s all week long. I wish I’d have put it together better, but on this subject, when God says no, and specifically in your prayer life, when God says no. And just for a little while, I want to focus on that. I believe the Lord wants us to focus on that. Second Corinthians chapter number 12. Once you find that, would you say, amen? Good deal.

And we’re going to start in verse number 22. Second Corinthians 12 and verse number 22. And I got you, folk. I got you. I tell you for sure now, you know. I had to see if you’re awake or not now, you know. I mean, trying to get you awake. Verse number seven, if you would please. I’m sorry. You have to forgive me.

Would you please stand as we read God’s Word together? Thank you for bearing with me there. I think I’m funny, but I’m not. A little weird, I understand.

Second Corinthians chapter 12, verse number 7. Of course, God is using Apostle Paul to pen these words. And it says, “Unless I should be exalted above measure, through the abundance of the revelation, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.”

Would you time out with me for just a moment? Let me talk to you about what we’ve read already. I’ll give you my thoughts on it, without reading it all, but it begins talking about a tie.

He said, about 14 years ago, he said, whether I was in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell. And he went up and he saw some things. Went to the third heaven. That’s the abode of God. That’s what we think of when we say heaven. And this revelation, now is kind of doing it in the third person so he don’t brag on himself. But I believe he was talking about himself. Actually, if you study it out, you’ll go back about 14 years ago. Paul was in a city called Lystra. He was preaching the gospel.

And they persecuted him, they stoned him, and they thought he was dead. And I think that’s the experience he was talking about. He was kind of like I was in between life and death, whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell. And he said, I’m telling you, I saw things and felt things and heard things. He said, I just, I can’t go there, if you will. But he said, God’s allowed this problem in my life, this issue.

He worded it like this: this thorn in the flesh. We don’t know exactly what it was. Most will say it was eye problems. He couldn’t see very well at all. In some instances, he does talk about some end of a book when he’s in his own handwriting. He says, “So big.” And other things kind of point to his eyes. And it’s getting to the point of going blind. We’re not sure.

But he had a thorn in his flesh. He said it was a messenger of Satan. The devil’s done this thing. And he says, to buffet me. To buffet means just beating you up. As you say in Tennessee, beating the snot out of him, all right? And he said, God’s allowed this so I don’t get the big head. You’ve got to interpret a little bit. That’s basically what he’s saying. God’s allowed this thing so I won’t be exalted above measure.

And so that’s what’s going on. And it’s just beating him up, wearing him out. By the way, a thorn. You get a thorn. I know of more than one person that’s had to go to the hospital because of a thorn. You get there and get infected every step you take. Pain, you can’t get it out and so on and so on. And a thorn can be very bothersome and hinder you.

It can take your mind and just make you in a grumpy mood. Nobody wants to be around you because you got a thorn. And he said, you’ve got a thorn in the flesh, all right? That’s what’s going on.

Now verse number eight, if you would please: “For this thing, this thorn of the flesh, I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me.” Would you help me out? Would you answer out loud, if you would please? What was Paul praying about the thorn? He was praying that it would what?

Depart. That was his prayer. Was that his prayer or not? That’s what he was praying, that it might depart from me.

Now look in verse number nine. “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

Help me out a little bit here at the beginning. Help me out. Paul prayed about this thorn of the flesh. His prayer was, “Lord, this thing, let it what?” Would you answer me? Yes or no? Did it depart? No.

This great Christian Paul—God used Paul to pen 13 [books]. There are only 27 books in the New Testament. He penned 13. Many people believe 14; we’re not sure about Hebrews. But I’m talking about a man that God used to pen half of the New Testament. That’s a pretty good Christian.

In fact, he talks about the men that are ready; he said they’re holy men. And Paul was one of those. He was often titled the Apostle born out of time. He wasn’t part of the 12, but he was the apostle, maybe out of due time, a little bit later on, sent to the Gentiles. He was a very special man. God used Paul to take the gospel out of a small region and spread it over to now what we call Europe.

Some—we don’t know, this is not Bible, but some through historians—say Paul, God used Paul to start 20 churches; some will go up to 27 churches. Wow. Hey, this was a man of God if we’ve ever seen one. God used Paul in instances to heal people. Just a mighty man.

He had the care of the churches. He was somewhat the leader of churches that day and time, the apostles. You’re talking about a great Christian. But here’s one that we’re going to get out. Well, let me just say, how many of you—don’t just raise it because of that—but how many of you truly believe Paul was a very great Christian? Do you believe that? Raise a hand. That’s three-quarters, I’d say, of the people here. The rest of you just didn’t want it. You didn’t put the odor on, so, you know.

No, I’m joking. You got the right to leave whatever. But look, this great Christian, God told him now.

I mean, this great Christian, he went to the Lord. By the way, did you notice—did you notice this is an important word of this verse? We sometimes miss. Where is it at? Verse number eight. Would you look at verse number eight? We just read it. He said, “For this thing, I, what’s the next word?” Besought. Now, besought is much stronger than just ask. Right? Very strong.

I like for the Bible to define the Bible. A lot of times when I’m trying to study a word out, I’ll look at the first time it’s used in the Bible. And very often—I wouldn’t say every time, but very often—it’ll give a definition of that word. So the first time “besought” is used in the Bible, it’s way over. It says, I’ll just read it for you.

But it’s actually describing how Joseph was acting when his brothers put him in the pit. All right? How many remember his brothers put him in the pit? Eventually they sold him into slavery. And some of them were going to leave him there. And Joseph was just…

Rather, don’t do this to me. You can’t, please. And let me read it for you, if I can find it. I read it for you. I thought I had it here, folks, somewhere along here. Genesis 42:21: “They said one to another, We are very guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought us.”

That’s the first time that word “besought” is used in the Bible. It’s when a young man would just beg it out, please. I can see Joseph on his knees, “Father, you can’t do this. Please, you’ve got to help me. You can’t do this to your own blood.” Now, that’s the way Paul… It wasn’t, I think Paul had probably already asked the Lord about a million times. Just casual conversation, “Lord, please take this thing.” You know, I mean, if it was his eyes, maybe that was it. Maybe he was trying to read a letter, “Lord, you got to help me.” He’s probably asked the Lord a million times.

But three times, by the way, three is important. Three is typically a number of thoroughness or completeness or complete manifestation: the Godhead—God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit—three. And it’s manifested in complete thoroughness. Three typically has to do with [completeness] in the Bible. And so he had completely or thoroughly expressed, prayed. He had went through this battle in prayer, beseeching, besought, begging the Lord.

How many ever had a burden? Man, you just, so burdened, just tore up. You just weep, “God, you’ve got to do something about this thing. It’s a way to say, heaven, it’s God, you’ve got to answer, you’ve got to do this.” That’s why it was three, not just once that he besought, but three times. But friend, God Almighty, he said no.

What about old Job? Job was a very godly man. He was kind of, if you will, the best Christian over in that part of the world. Some say in all the world during that time, Job, great Christian. And yet remember Job, he would offer up these sacrifices for his kids? Remember that? As the first set of kids, by the way. It looked like to me, God said no, Job. Y’all follow me?

You go throughout the Bible. There’s others. We’ve been studying on Wednesday night about David. And I love to have you come join us for that Bible study about David. We just not too long ago studied how David prayed for one of his children to live. And God said, “No, David.”

Now, say that to say, these are some great Christians: Paul, Job. And yet God said no. So listen, there’s going to be times, young people, there’s going to be times that you sincerely pray for something and it’s not… I’m not talking here, sometimes we don’t have a prayer answered because we’re not right. All right, y’all with me out there? Sometimes, what does James over there say? Because you ask amiss that you may consume it upon your own lust. Sometimes, 1 Peter 3, because you’re not right in your family and your marriage, and God said, no, your prayers are hindered. Sometimes you’re harboring iniquity in your heart. The Lord won’t hear you if you regard iniquity in your heart. So I’m 6.6.18. Sometimes, different things. Sometimes you’re not asking in faith. I said, I pray, I don’t believe God’s going to do it. Well, as long as you got that attitude, you might as well not pray, you know.

But I’m talking about when you’re right with the Lord, you’re beseeching and besought Him in faith in Jesus’ name, and you confess any sin the Holy Spirit brings up, and you’re doing it the right way, if you will. And yet God says no.

Can I say this first of all? First of all, when you come to that time, if you have genuinely sought the Lord, am I right with you? And any sins I need to get right, and get it right, don’t let Satan guilt trip you. Don’t let Satan… God reserves the right, and if He wants to say no, He’s God.

And the next thing, Satan’s always walking about, seeking whom he may devour. He’s always trying to get you in it. And he loves to kick you when you’re down. He’s a master at it, by the way. And so when God doesn’t say yes to a certain prayer that you’re burdened about, don’t let Satan guilt trip you. Paul’s a pretty good crowd to be associated with it. Job’s a pretty good crowd to be associated with it.

Friend, there’s going to be times that God says, “No.” Don’t you let old smutty face come and say, “Well, you can’t even get your prayers answered. You’re not doing it all right.” And it’ll steal your peace from you. Friend, that’s when you need peace.

So don’t let Satan guilt trip you over that. God, in His infinite wisdom, reserves the right to say no sometimes. By like, would you imagine—would you imagine with me—if a child every time he had asked for anything always got his way?

We’re babysitting our grandson and we’ve come pretty close to that for a couple days here. I tell him that Sunday’s going—I believe you’re starting to get, don’t tell anybody—but that word they call spoiled, you know. Pray, Lord, his mom and dad’s coming home today. They can despoil him, amen. I’m thankful for that.

A couple Wednesday nights ago I was preaching my child during that. I read an interesting little story about the Houston, Texas, Houston, Texas, police department years ago. They wouldn’t do it nowadays, I doubt. Maybe they would, hopefully would. But they just got so fed up with delinquent children they called them. So they wrote an article: 12 rules for raising delinquent children. They said, if you want to raise a criminal, this is what you do. The number one thing, number one thing they said, that’s what they said: “Begin with infancy to give the child everything he wants. And this way he would grow up to believe the world owes him a living.” Got some of them like that nowadays, no way.

Now, what about if God gave you everything you wanted? We may have some spoiled children. God reserves… By the way, the best Dad in all the world is God. I hope you’re one of His children, by the way. We’re not all His children; we’re His creation, but you’re not His child until you’re born again, born into the family of God. But the best Dad in all the world is the Lord.

And God, in His wisdom, says, “Hey, I’m not going to give you everything you want.” Never promised to give you everything you want. He’s promised to take care of your needs. Philippians over there.

Sometimes God says… What do you do? What do I do? And I’ve got to breathe and I’ve been weeping. I’ve been praying. I’ve been besought the Lord and I’ve just poured my heart out. And God says, “No.” What do you do? Don’t get bitter. Just very plainly, this is probably the key part: trusting.

Someone said, “When you can’t trace Him, trust Him.” Look if you will please in Isaiah chapter number 55. These are great verses, Isaiah 55. And would you look down two verses, verse number eight and verse number nine? Isaiah 55, verse number eight and verse number nine.

Known these verses for years. They’re kind of not focused on them. Someone said to me about great verses. And I said, “Well, how would I focus on those?” I had to memorize them, great verses. Isaiah 55, look at verse number eight. This is God speaking here. Isaiah 55, verse number eight. Are you there? Amen. Good deal. Look at verse number eight. He says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” saith the Lord. Did you notice how he starts off talking about His thoughts are not like your thoughts? Then he says, “and your ways, you’re not like my ways.” Whether it be your thinking or your ways, actions you do. God says two different things, friend. Now, in the next verse, first verse in my opinion, God’s just saying there are two different things. We don’t think and act like… we’re different here. Then God said, “Let me tell you which one’s better: yours or mine.”

Verse number nine, look at that. He says in verse number nine, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Wow, the heavens.

I’ll tell you a secret. Don’t make fun of me. I’m a wimp when it comes to heights. I don’t like heights. I mean, I can handle this right here. Amen. You get up very high, I don’t like them. I mean, we’ll go to some lookout place, some beautiful scenery, you know, and we’re on a cliff or something. My wife, she’s like she’s going on. I’m saying, “Hey, hey, don’t go out there,” you know. “Come back here,” you know. She says, “You’re going to get me.” No, I can’t go out here. Not quite that bad. But man, that’s just a cliff. But you talk about heaven, how high. God says as far as the heavens are above the earth, that’s how much higher my thinking and my ways are than your thinking and your ways. So trust Him.

Can I say this? You’re going to try to figure it all out and you often are going to lose your peace trying to figure it all out. As soon as I seem like I’m understanding a little bit of it all, God changes everything because He wants me to trust Him.

What do you do with your child or your grandchild? You put them up on the car or something, you know, and say, “Come on, come to Daddy.” And you want them to trust you. That’s what pleases God: when you put faith in Him. You trust Him. And sometimes God’s going to say no, and the devil’s going to come try to guilt trip you, and then the devil’s going to come try to make you get bitter. “Well, if God loved you, He’ll do such and such.”

Friend, it may be when you find out to go to heaven that’d be the worst thing of the world for God to give that to. No, trust Him. Hey, He sees from a higher level.

I thought about the property here maybe three years ago. I don’t know, but we—actually, it’s a Mother’s Day years ago. I think we’re coming up on three anniversary. But we had had combined adult Sunday school going here. We had pictures being taken in the back. Stoner has taken pictures back there. And so I had stayed in my office until some of the things got over. And I came, beginning, I got in here, but Chad was teaching. I heard the lesson. But I came out of my office after Sunday school had started, and I seen the parking lot man just packed. And then I came in here, and the hallways were full and classrooms were full. And I felt like, Lord, that morning said in my heart, “You need to start looking to build.”

And you’ve heard the 80% rule if it’s, you know, you’re never going to grow past the 80% capacity, parking lot, all those things. And so we started looking to build. And some of you remember, we tried to build here at first. You remember that? Brother Stover, Del Stover, he’s moved away in Ohio. But Brother Stover, he did so much of the legwork. And we tried to build here, but it does not perk here. In other words, the water won’t go through the dirt quick enough. It won’t percolate if you are quick enough.

And so we went to the health department, and we went to the county, and we actually hired a soil scientist, and we’ve talked to the state. We’ve had the state for about a year and a half. Then we tried to tap into the city’s sewage, and many of you know the… You know, you lived it. We tried for about a year to go through the city, and they would allow us to tap in. They’ll get more money, amen. But you got to go through people’s yards and get easements. And every angle we went, it was always no. No, no, no. We even put money out to hire the soil scientists, and still the answer was no. We got a state guy out here. Well, maybe we can get to the door higher up. We got the state out here, and he said, “No.”

And it took God maybe, I don’t know, a year and a half of saying, “Paul, no, no, no.” And that’s why I look, wow. Because God had a bigger and better plan than mine. He had a much, much better location. My opinion, you look for it from right here, where’s the best location to go to that spot over there? 10,000 times better. So God, in His wisdom, said, “No.”

God said, “My thoughts are not your thoughts. Your ways are not my ways. I got something better in mind.” Friend, you trust Him.

Young people, can I say this? Young people, be careful of just getting caught up, “I got to have that girl. I got to have that guy.” God might have somebody better in mind. God gives His best to those that leave the choice to Him. And God, He’s going to say no from time to time, and you trust it.

Now, we got to hurry along. That was only the first point. We got 20 more, amen. Shoo, we just had 10 people that… I’m about to walk out of here, you know. I’ve already been warned before service was, “Yeah, I got somewhere to go.” But number two, just a couple thoughts here. Number two.

Number two: The Lord did not speak to Paul until Paul had besought Him. Did you notice as we read that back over there in 2nd Corinthians 12, verse number 8? “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me.” I’ve studied it out. Verse number 9 comes right after verse number 8. That was a hard study, I tell you what. And verse number 9 is when the Lord spoke to him.

A friend, so often, so often we are not having the Lord’s leading because we’ve not besought Him completely, thoroughly, a complete manifestation. We’ve not besought Him. I’ll have people—and I’m not always good at all these things—but I have people say, “Hey, what do you think I ought to do in this situation?”

So often I’ll say, “Have you prayed about it yet?” And sometimes, though, if they’re honest with me, sometimes I’ll say, “Well, not very much.” Friend, once he besought the Lord, that’s when the Lord gave him leading. That’s when the Lord spoke to him. God is very capable of leading you in your prayer life. The Holy Spirit is your prayer partner.

Sometimes He’ll lead right off the bat when you start praying about a situation. A classic illustration for me on that is when I lost my fingers years ago. And I know I shouldn’t have gotten that knife fight with that guy, you know, at work. And I was right south of Chicago in Bible College, and family in Florida, sister in Michigan.

And at first I was like, “Man, it’s the middle of the night, don’t call everybody, wake them up.” Then they said, “We can put—we think we can put your fingers back on.” So call everybody, wake them up, get them prayed. Amen. And my sister was miles and miles away in Michigan. And she started praying in the middle of the night, “Lord, let them be able to put Paul’s fingers back on.” And she said, just very quickly, the Holy Spirit said, “They’re not going to put them back on.” And so she changed her prayer. And she started praying, “Lord, you give Paul grace so when they tell him we can’t put his fingers back on, he’ll be able to handle it.”

Now, sometimes God just boom, right off the back, He speaks to you. Sometimes it’s like Paul; he had to besought the Lord three times. I spoke with somebody yesterday and said about this one issue, “I fasted for three days over it before God answered me, spoke to me about it.”

Maybe Paul had fasted for three days each of those three times. I don’t know. I don’t think it was literally short prayer, you know, “Good food, good meal, good Lord, let’s eat.” Wasn’t that short prayer, right for you, you know, eat? It was three major times Paul just… And so it took time for him. Sometimes it takes time for God to speak to your heart in prayer. Sometimes it’s years.

Sometimes it’s a lifetime of praying about something and slowly God speaks to your heart about the situation. Jeremiah, look over if you will in Jeremiah chapter number seven. Three verses very similar. We won’t read all three of them, but I want you just see it in your own two eyeballs. God…

Jeremiah was praying for Israel, “Lord, you got to have mercy on Israel.” And God said, “I’m going to bring judgment. I’m going to smack them.” Jeremiah kept praying, “Lord, be merciful to Israel.” He just kept praying. God finally spoke to Jeremiah. It’s amazing what God said. You’ll be surprised. I believe many—some know it. Jeremiah 7, look at verse number 16. Jeremiah 7, verse number 16.

Jeremiah 7, verse number 16. Are you there? Amen. Did you look at that verse number 16? “Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry, nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.”

Chapter 11, verse 14, says about the same thing. Now look over chapter 14. Another way He says a little different over there. Chapter 14, Jeremiah 14. Look at verse number…

Jeremiah 14:11: “Then said the Lord unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.” God said, Jeremiah, I’m not going to answer. Quit praying about that. God led, right? Y’all with me? My friend, what I’m saying is when you have besought the Lord, and you’ve taken—and I don’t know how long it will be in your situation—but you’ve sufficient time, that’s when God gives leadership.

Someone said, “The more I pray, the clearer the vision becomes.” That’s what it means. Acknowledge Him in all your ways. Proverbs 3:6: “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” But you’ve got to acknowledge Him. Now, if you acknowledge Him as God, you can be praying. Sometimes that means long term. I acknowledge Him, “Hey, You’re God.” He directs. He shall direct thy paths. God guides you even in your prayer time.

I think about my dad. When my dad was, he had cancer. And many of you know my dad, and it was slowly going downhill. He had prostate cancer altogether about 10 years. It did spread and all that. At the end, he had a tube coming out of each kidney in bags. He had an ongoing church. You never know it, dream of it, but he did. And just slowly going downhill. Man, the last seven years, Dad’s moved up. We’ve been closer than any time in our lives, been wonderful. Go up, why are you taking my dad? And why don’t you answer our prayers? My dad would have Bible verses he had claimed. He just had three. Someone said he had memorized 2,000 verses on 3x5 cards. I don’t know, but he’d claimed just verse after verse after verse, God for healing. But God said no.

When I remember in the garage, when I personally myself, I was beseeching or besought the Lord over the situation, and the Lord spoke to my heart. And He said, “Paul, you’ve already said it in your prayer. I’ve given you the seven best years with your dad.” And I want you to stop praying for that. I want you to stop being thankful for the seven years that gave you. And that moment changed my heart. Just changed my outlook on it. And it allowed me to preach part of his funeral and everything and all that. Why? Because God had already worked in my heart. Why? Because I’d besought the Lord over that long enough. And God said, “All right, let me speak to you now.”

And when He was teaching, God spoke to Paul about the situation. He said, “No, My grace is sufficient.” After Paul had besought the Lord long enough, it was complete three times. And God said, “Now let Me speak to your heart.” He can speak to you.

Now, one last thing, we’re going to go home and eat somewhere, amen. I mean, someone told me about a new fried chicken place that was good. And they’re going to go this afternoon. They’re going to bring a report back to church tonight if it’s good or not. I’ll tell you about it if it’s good, all right. New fried chicken in Smyrna, that’s a good deal.

Now, I want you to know this: after you’ve besought the Lord, even when God says no, He can really give peace to your heart. Look in verse number nine, verse number 10, over here in Second Corinthians, verse 9 and 10 of chapter 12. He’s already besought the Lord thrice. God’s speaking to him now, and he’s said unto me, “Grace is sufficient for me, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Now that was God speaking. Now Paul starts speaking: “Most gladly therefore…”

Because what God said to him, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Therefore, someone said, “Therefore” is there for a reason. It’s there because of what God just said to him. He said, “Therefore I take pleasure.” It’s amazing, pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, and persecutions. This is for Christ’s sake. “For when I am weak, then am I strong.”

Now, here’s the thing here: when you besought the Lord and God gives you leadership, God actually changes your heart. That’s what the Bible means over there which says, “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Doesn’t mean God gives you whatever your desire. It means God gives you the very desires you have. Paul, you watch so many Christians as they grow, their desires change.

Now look, I’m saying when Paul went to the Lord and said, “God, you’ve got to take this thorn away,” and God said no. It wasn’t all. God changed the heart of Paul to the point that Paul, Paul was the one that said through the inspiration of God, “Man, he’s beaten the snot out of me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me.” And then he had a meeting with the Lord about the situation. And God said, “You know what, Paul? I’m going to say no, but I’m going to change the desires of your heart.” And Paul ends up saying, “I take pleasure in the thorns in the flesh,” if you will. I know it’s necessary for God’s strength to be made perfect. I know it’s necessary that way His power can rest upon me.

Friend, I’m saying, God can give you peace even when He says no. Even when He says, “No, I’ve got a better plan.” And you have peace.

I look at Brother Ricky, and I don’t know, it’s between the Lord and Brother Ricky. I hope you don’t mind me mentioning it, but Brother Ricky is, his lungs, last time I talked specifically about it, was that 30%. And I pray, “Lord, you increase me.” I’ve been praying for him to be 50%. So far, God has not answered that. I don’t think it’s because of lack of faith. I don’t believe it’s because of sin and all that. God chose to say no. Now, I don’t know the future, and I’m not trying to predict. Maybe it would be different. But I’m saying this: God, Brother Ricky, of peace. If He chooses not to answer yes, God can change his heart and say, “You know what? I know God has a reason for this.” Maybe for his kids, I don’t know.

But I’m saying whatever your situation is, brother again, I hope you don’t mind. I wasn’t planning on doing that. Hope you don’t mind me doing that. Please forgive me. But whatever your situation is, friend, you have a burden. Look, God, He’s Almighty God. And His thoughts and His ways are so much higher than yours. When He says no, trust Him. Trusting. Trusting. He has good thoughts about you. Even when He’s chasing your proper 29:11 talks about it. He can bring you peace even when He says no. We don’t know, but it looked like for the rest of Paul’s life, he had that thorn of the flesh.

God had told him, “Paul, look, if you want My strength, it’s made perfect in weakness. You’re too strong, Paul. I need you weak so I can flow through you.” If we can interview Paul, sitting in heaven, Paul sitting over there, and we’re sitting over here, we got a cup of coffee. Amen, it’s got caramel in there. Somebody say amen right there? You know, we’re interviewing Paul. And we said, “Paul, 2,000 years later, are you thankful that God said no?”

I believe Paul said, “I’m so thrilled. I’ve got so many rewards because the hand of God was on my life, and it wouldn’t have been staying on my life like that if I didn’t have that thorn in the flesh.” Trust Him.

Fannie Crosby. She wrote some 8,000 hymns. It’s an incredible songwriter. Some of the songs you sing, we sing out of these books around here, Fannie Crosby wrote them. Fannie Crosby, she was a little girl; she was six years old, she had an infection in her eyes. And they got a quote-unquote doctor to come help. And they gave her the wrong thing. Like six years old, she could be six weeks old. She went blind. She grew up blind.

Yet this is what Fannie Crosby wrote, and I’m reading what she said: “It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life. And I thank Him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow, I would not accept it.” God had changed her heart for it. “I might not have sung praises of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful, interesting things about me.” She goes on later and says, “If I had a choice, I’d still remain blind. For when I die, the first face I’ll ever see will be the face of my blessed Savior.” She wrote many songs: “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior,” “Blessed Assurance,” and so on and so on. She allowed God.

So, if Annie Crosby, “I got a better plan.” Trust Him when He says no.

Chapter 11, verse 14, says about the same thing. Now look over chapter 14. Another way He says a little different over there. Chapter 14, Jeremiah 14. Look at verse number…

Friend, I’m saying, God can give you peace even when He says no. Even when He says, “No, I’ve got a better plan.” And you have peace.

So, if Annie Crosby, “I got a better plan.” Trust Him when He says no.

Chapter 11, verse 14, says about the same thing. Now look over chapter 14. Another way He says a little different over there. Chapter 14, Jeremiah 14. Look at verse number…

Friend, I’m saying, God can give you peace even when He says no. Even when He says, “No, I’ve got a better plan.” And you have peace.

So, if Annie Crosby, “I got a better plan.” Trust Him when He says no.

Original File: When God says No - Sunday am Pastor Paul Chisgar 50221

# When God says no

When God says no