When the Answer is No

When the Answer is No

I received a no this week to something I had been praying about for a long time. It was a genuine answer to a genuine prayer — just not the one I wanted. And I am sitting with it.

Paul prayed three times for the thorn in his flesh to be removed, and God said no — but with a promise: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. The no came with something. It always does.

I don't fully understand the no I received. But I trust the One who gave it. And I am looking for the gift that comes with it — the grace that shows up where strength runs out.