365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 308: God Who Answers

God Who Answers

"But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy mountain." (Psalm 3:3,4 NIV)

The other day, I was reading the comments on a "God Gave Me Daughters" video I was privileged to be part of and noticed one in particular: "prayers answered." This sweet mom was expressing her gratitude for her daughter, and it was lovely to see. Yet as I read her words, I thought about all the times I've remarked that "God answered my prayer" when in fact what He did was to say "yes" to my prayer. He gave me what I asked for. 

Yahweh is the God Who Answers. I need to be careful about saying that God only answers my prayers when He gives me the answer I want. He is bigger and more sovereign and more worthy of my respect than that.

Sometimes the God Who Answers says "yes." Sometimes, He says "wait." Sometimes, He says "no."

We're generally good with God's "yes." We're usually on-board when He gives us what we ask for.

We're often okay with God's "wait," too...especially when we have solid reasons to believe that "wait" will soon turn into a "yes" and maybe even into a better yes.

God's "no" can be tougher to take. It can be downright painful to take, in fact, when God says "no" to something He says "yes" to for other people...something He calls good and blessed. In the grief of this kind of "no," it helps me to take a step back and be thankful that God does answer at all and that He answers all. 

I know I'm not the only person who has reached out to someone with a heartfelt inquiry or plea and received no reply whatsoever in return. We think, "I don't care what the answer is...I just want one!" We want to know we've been heard. We want to know we matter enough to the person we're questioning for them to make the choice to respond.

You and I matter this much to the God Who Answers. In the deepest places of my heart and soul, this is the greatest "yes."

And when I cannot understand God's "no," I have my own choice to make: to stomp off like a petulant child who does not get her way...or cling to the heart of love behind the "no" and respond with my own "yes": "Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts" (Isaiah 26:8).