God's "No"

My dog Libby has been on limited activity for eight weeks now from ACL surgery (see blog of 1-17-11, “I Don’t Always Get It”).  One of Libby’s favorite pastimes is watching TV on alert for other animals, particularly dogs. When they show up onscreen, she goes crazy, impulsively jumping up on the chair nearest the television and barking furiously at them. Right now when I have her with me and an animal appears, I scream “NO!” and grab her collar to hold her on my lap. Twice she jumped off so quickly that I was unable to stop her—not healthy for her leg!

Similarly, I can imagine God watching and saying NO to my foolish or dangerous actions.

How does he communicate a NO? An urge may be clearly defined as sin in the Bible. Maybe the choice violates God’s character. Other times his Spirit whispers, “NO,” which I may sense as doubt. Or he may provide godly friends or family to warn me about foolish courses of action. My responsibility is to listen well to his word, his Spirit, and his people before acting on impulse.

It is comforting to know that God is there, knowing the end from the beginning. Sometimes he tells me “NO,” but allows me the freedom to disobey and learn from my mistakes. Other times he pulls me back with his hand and prevents me from following the wrong path.

“If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn,

And settle down on the other side of the sea,

Even there your hand would guide me,

Your right hand would grab hold of me.” (Ps. 139:9-10)

I stand in awe of my loving God who guides and protects me, most often from myself.

How has God said NO to you?