Nehemiah 6

I was recently engaged in a conversation about whether God really answers our prayers. A question had come up regarding the passage where Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mk 11:23-24) and we were discussing the merits of "name it and claim it" theology.

The person I was talking with had been asking God for something specific for more than 10 years—to no avail. God still hadn’t given him what he had asked for, although he was quite sure that his faith wasn’t to blame. Thus, he was confused over why he was getting nowhere with his prayers, when God so often says that "because of your faith, it has been granted to you." (See Lk 18)

When I have discussions like these, my first inclination is always to want to remind people that "no" is just as valid an answer as "yes." We often hear someone talk about not having their prayers answered if they didn’t get the answer they wanted. The fact is, God always answers prayers, while the hard reality is, He often answers them in a way we don’t expect or like. Which always leads me to my second inclination, which is to remember all the things I’ve begged God for in my life... and then to shudder at the prospect of what my life would look like if He had actually said yes. Thank God He says no! And thank God He says no more often than He says yes.

Having said that, let’s ask now what this has to do with Nehemiah 6. Nehemiah spent this chapter saying no. Throughout the chapter, Nehemiah’s enemies were trying to set him up in a bad situation. They kept sending him invitations to meet them, and he kept saying no. He didn’t care if he was seen as being impolite or rude. He knew what they were up to, and he knew it was best if he didn’t play into their hands.

Finally, his enemies had exhausted the route of polite invitations, and one of them sent Nehemiah a sealed letter filled with rumors and veiled (or not-so-veiled) threats about what would happen if he didn’t acquiesce to their demands. Was Nehemiah then intimidated? Nope. I love his straightforward response: "Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head." (vs 8)

Nehemiah spent this entire chapter saying no because it was the best thing to do for all parties involved. I believe God does the same thing with us. I’m not saying that our prayers are filled with requests to God that we know are evil or that we have bad motives. Actually, the more dangerous fact is, we don’t even know our motives, because we don’t know our own hearts. We are often unaware of the evil that lurks in our hearts, but God is wise to it, and—like Nehemiah—He is not going to do anything that wouldn’t be in our best interests. When He knows it is right to do so, He will say no, and He won’t have any heartburn about it.

So, while we think it’s bad news that God sometimes declines our requests, the truth is that it’s very good news! God knows just what we truly need, and He is working in and through all of life’s circumstances to actually do what is best and right for each one of us. And when you think about it, that’s what you really want, isn’t it? Would you want Him to give you everything you ask for (just because you asked for it), even if He knows it will hurt you? Of course not, and those of you who are parents know that you do the very same thing when it comes to your own children.

God does what is best for us—even when what is best temporarily disappoints us. That is cause for rejoicing! And I would encourage you to remember that the next time you’re frustrated because God seems to be saying no. By declining whatever it is you’re asking for, He’s really paving the way for something better.