I always thought I’d be the girl to fall in love, marry young, and have a couple kids before I turned thirty (🤷🏽♀️). When the answer was “no” to a relationship in my early twenties, I felt the weight of all MY plans domino out of reach. And yet the waiting ended up being a blessing. That wasn’t the only “no” I’ve felt so deeply: “No, your daddy didn’t make it...”, “No, you didn’t get the job...”, “No, you don’t fit in...”. A no from the world feels harsh. And then I remember that scripture tells us “all His promises are yes and amen”. But what does that look like when it’s a no in the natural?
You see, in the fall, we were believing and contending for this baby as we had been for some time. I was convinced that I was pregnant, and so before taking a test I prayed and told myself that ‘no matter what it says, at the end of the day, God will still be on the throne and everything will be okay.’
I looked at that test expecting to see one line or two, as I had done times before. But I must have grabbed a different type of test in my haste, because instead I looked down and found a digital “NO” staring back at me. Tears instantly swelled up and ran down my cheeks. I wasn’t ready for the no. The no felt really harsh and unfair. I was caught off guard, and I was disappointed. It hurt, because my heart wanted the immediate. I suddenly felt strangely embarrassed of my response and went to my husband to process it all. I felt like I had to explain myself, not to him, but to myself to justify those feelings. I looked at him, tears rolling down my face and softly said, “I prayed before the test that it would be okay either way. I told myself that at the end of the day, God would still be on the throne regardless of the results”. I paused. “I started this morning in the Word. And I don’t think the test was in my response. I think it’s okay to cry and feel disappointed. I think the test will be if I wake up tomorrow morning and spend time with Him, even though it wasn’t the answer I wanted today.” Delyn comforted me with the words, “You will. You’ll return to your King. You wouldn’t be the Megan I know if you didn’t.” And I felt relief sweep over me. It was a perspective shift.
Just like that, we determined to continue contending for the promises unseen... that every promise would be YES and AMEN, that a timeline wouldn’t determine the outcome. The hurt of every “no” will be redeemed, restored and returned as a victorious “YES” because His word never returns empty or void. I stand before you today to acknowledge that the “no” can hurt. And it’s okay to feel the pain, the heartache and the letdown. But don’t stay there. You can literally lay that down at the throne. Because the “no” is never the final word! Believe for the YES that is on the way and start claiming that victory before it even comes to pass. It changes everything.
I just want to encourage you today that a promise deferred is not a promise unanswered. Hope with joyful expectation that the Lord who who put those desires in your heart cares deeply to see you through the waiting. Some of the greatest blessings in my life have been seeing the “no’s” redeemed as more than I ever could have imagined. If you need someone to contend for you today, to agree with you, and to believe for you, I’d love to be that friend.