Momma Moments With GodSample

When God Says No

My husband and I always wanted a house full of kids. So, when our firstborn was about eighteen months old, we decided it was time for baby number two. We told Steven about our plan for a baby brother or sister for him, and he started praying, “And God, please give Mommy and Daddy another baby” every night before bed.

But that was not meant to be. After years of praying, infertility treatments, and a miscarriage, it looked like Steven was going to be an only child. But … he kept praying. How do you tell a kid that he doesn’t need to say a certain prayer anymore? Should I even do that? How does one explain that sometimes God says no?

One day, while sharing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Steven looked up, and in his sweet five-year-old voice, he said, “Mommy, have you ever thought that maybe God wants you to have only one baby?”

“Yes, I have thought that,” I replied. “And if that’s the case, I’m so thankful He gave me all I have ever hoped for wrapped up in one package—you!”

Then he said, “Well, what I think we ought to do is keep praying until you’re too old to have one. Then we’ll know that’s His answer!”

Steven had no idea how old “too old” was. But with a childlike faith, he knew God could do anything. If God’s answer was no, Steven didn’t have a problem with that. I’d told him no many times, and he understood that no didn’t mean “I don’t love you.” No, it just meant, “No, because I am your parent, and I know what’s best for you.”

In truth, I was the one struggling with the answer no. But God showed me through my child that if He says no to my request, it’s not because He doesn’t love me but because He does. And “as the heavens are higher than the earth,” so are God’s ways higher than mine (Isaiah 55:9).

I don’t know what you’re going through today, but I do know this: Your heavenly Father loves you more than you could ever know. He is good, and what He does is good.

Lord, help me trust You in my disappointment. Give me courage in my discouragement, strength in my sadness, and peace when my plans don’t go as I had hoped. In Jesus’ name, Amen.