There are so many things in my life and the world that I am thankful for. If I were to write a list, it could probably rival the length of a novella. Family. Friends. Career. Housing. Food. Health. You get the picture.
I’m going to focus on something that doesn’t usually get mentioned on the “What am I thankful for?” list.
No.
I’ve prayed for so many things over the course of my life. There have been yeses but there have also been nos and not right nows and even some I have betters. The yeses are great. But sometimes, those nos hurt. They hurt a lot.
Do you know what I’ve learned in my life? Exactly what Jeremiah wrote to the people exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT)
The nos weren’t because I was bad or that I didn’t deserve what I was asking for. It’s because he has a plan for my life. One far beyond my understanding. He has seen my life from beginning to end. He knows the endgame and that endgame is so much better than I could ever imagine.
I think of the here and the now. Maybe a little into the future. And only of myself or those in my immediate vicinity But God has seen it all. He has seen my life, your life, the lives of everyone on earth. And His plans are intricate and our lives intersect and He has a purpose for everything that happens, whether it is good or bad. It’s not something our human minds can comprehend.
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
So the next time you hear No, remember He’s working on something amazing.
Jennifer Pierce currently lives in Arkansas with her husband and two children. Her debut novel, Hidden Danger, is a 2019 Selah Award winner, and her second novel, Expecting Danger is a 2019 Selah award finalist. Her third novel, Deadly Connection released on October 20, 2020. Giving Grace, a contemporary romance Christmas novella released on November 13, 2020. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and River Valley Writers.
The following Jennifer Pier books are published by Celebrate Lit Publishing: