TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2 NKJV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• This week, God told me no. His no broke my heart, and while some may think this is silly, whatever. It’s our story, and I was reminded this week to praise God even when He doesn’t answer prayers the way we want Him to.
Three years ago, Wayne and I adopted two kittens. We were never 100% sure they were from the same litter, but they were the same age. We named them Dwight and Jim (a reference to “The Office.”) Other than being overweight, Dwight was healthy… Until this week when he started crying in pain. I took him to the emergency vet, and after his exam, the vet recommended putting him to sleep. He was an incredibly sick kitty with congestive heart failure, lungs collapsing from fluid pressure around his heart, and kidney failure.
I was stunned when she began listing all the problems. I thought he had a UTI or bladder blockage. I prayed for him to get relief and for God to heal him. It didn’t occur to me that I might not take him home. I love this sweet cat. He was ginormous at 27 lbs but had the gentlest personality.
In the middle of God’s no — my son was with me. Charlie and his girlfriend had to pick me up to take Dwight to the vet because I couldn’t get enough momentum to get our van over the lingering ice in our driveway. So on the morning of my son’s 24th birthday, he came to help me. And he stayed with me while I had to make this decision and call my husband (who was at work) to tell him that Dwight was dying.
In God’s no — I was able to experience extraordinary compassion and kindness from my son and his girlfriend. They had both taken the day off work to spend the day together before our family would go out to eat for Charlie’s birthday. And instead, they spent the morning consoling me.
As I cried and told Charlie how sorry I was he was dealing with this on his birthday; he reminded me that we can’t plan for these things, and it was okay. For those who know my son, you know why this is a big deal.
In God’s no, I found hope. He used the death of my cat to show me that He’s at work in what is ultimately my greatest prayer request.
When I went to Scripture, I found a truth in an unexpected passage: Genesis 1:2. It says, “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
What on earth does this verse have to do with this situation?! It reminds me that God works. He isn’t sitting back, waiting to see how life sorts itself out. He is a careful and involved architect who has a plan. He made the world from nothing, and therefore, He is not limited. His Spirit hovered over the waters then, and His Spirit is still working on what seems to be impossible now. He hasn’t stopped working, and the very life we have is from His breath (Genesis 1:30, 2:7, 6:17; 7:15, 22). He has been an active and working God since the beginning of time (which He also created).
In the middle of His no, I saw God at work.
And I praise Him for it.
We did put aside our tears, and later, we took Charlie out for supper at his favorite Japanese restaurant. And even then, God showed me that He’s at work.
God is amazing, isn’t He? At the end of the day, He can use any kind of moment to show His hand. Even in moments when His answer is no, He shows up.
Today, as you pray, thank God for answering prayers — even when He doesn’t answer them the way you want. Praise Him for being sovereign. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how He’s working in Your life… ask Him to give you the spiritual eyes to see His hand in every situation.
SHARING ••• My Grace-Full Life is written by Denise Heidel. You are welcome to share anything I write, but please credit my writing and graphics accordingly. Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Subscribe through my website to have My Grace-Full Life delivered to your email. You can unsubscribe at any time. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the NKJV translation.
