Divine Whispers: Navigating God's "No"

When I was in high school, I remember driving home from work one day. I pulled up to the stop light feeling like a zombie after an 8-hour shift on my feet. The light turned green, and I heard a voice tell me a very simple word, "Wait". It wasn't very loud, but it felt urgent. I hesitated to pull into traffic despite the angry drivers behind me. Just as fast as I had heard the urgent warning, I saw a car drive through a red light at 45 mph. The car ran through the direct path I would've been in if I hadn't listened to that quiet voice. There is truly no other explanation for that besides the gracious voice of God. That stirring in my spirit could've very well saved my life that day.

Determining the voice of God can be a tricky thing to navigate. God's voice can be loud and urgent, or it can be still and quiet. We must learn to identify His voice, and the only way we do that is by knowing what it sounds like. Praise God that we have an entire book that is God-breathed. God will sound like what He wrote. Think of it this way, say I'm a pen pal with Peggy who lives in a different state. I write her a letter saying I am listening to my favorite song, Don't Stop Believin' by Journey. Every day I write her a letter talking about how much I love Journey and this song. Finally, I have the opportunity to go meet my friend, Peggy. I arrive at her house to see she planned a karaoke night for us! How fun! She picks Don't Stop Believin' for me to sing. Then, I complain about how much I hate Journey, and I don't even know anything about the song or how it goes. Peggy would either think I was an imposter, or I was a liar. She had come to know me by my voice in my letters, yet in person, I was completely different. Luckily for us, God isn't like that. God is the same God we read about in the Bible and every word on the page comes from His mouth.

You learn to know God's voice by knowing His Word. Why? Because God sounds like what He wrote. Have you ever been somewhere and recognized the voice of someone around you? You were able to recognize the voice of that person because you knew them. You didn't need to see them to know their voice, you just had to listen and follow that sound. In God's beautiful design, this is how we hear Him, as well. We listen and come to recognize His voice in our lives because we know Him. That's not to say distinguishing God's voice is always easy because it's not. Often times we think God spoke to us, but it's so clouded in our emotions that it's hard to figure out if that's actually the case. The most important factor in determining if God's voice is speaking to you is if it aligns with God's Word. If you think God has spoken to you, but it goes against the Bible, then it isn't God. God will always speak in parallel to the truth given to us in the Bible. God does not contradict Himself. He's not even capable of it.

I think one of the hardest things for us as human beings is figuring out when God says "No." There are so many sermons out there talking about the "yes" of God, but very few resources on when He says “no”. Too many people measure God's goodness, mercy, and love based on if He gives us a "yes". We tend to measure the goodness of God based on the number of times he says yes. Yet, the only time God grants us this yes is when our request compliments the plan He has already set in motion. The "no" of God is coupled with two attributes of who He is. Number one, a "no" is God's warning. I once heard the term "warning" described as the inward unsettling given by God or a glimpse into the impending danger that lies ahead. Oftentimes, this warning comes in a gut feeling of anxiety or dread. When we avoid this feeling, we usually feel so much worse after it. By pushing this feeling aside, you may be pushing aside the voice of the Holy Spirit. If you are given that warning, don't stay long enough to figure out why God gave it to you. Seek Him in that moment and allow His voice to guide your steps. When God shows us His red flags, why would we wait to see how red they actually are?

Number two, God's no is God's love and grace towards us. He often tells us “No" because He is keeping us from something that could bring us harm. While sometimes we are meant to endure trials, God's grace, also, prevents us from enduring so much on a day-to-day basis. He is all-knowing, and His plan is better than anything we could ever imagine. In God's love and grace, sometimes His "no" is simply a "not yet".

Here are some other ways to identify God's "no" in your life. If something feels forced, it may be a sign of God saying "no". For example, if you have to force a person to stay, force that person to be your friend, or force that company to reply to you, God may be closing that door. Next, if you don't feel at peace, this may be a "no" from God. For me personally, God's "no" often comes in a wave of peace, rather than that of fear. I remember when I was dating this boy, and I knew it was coming to an end. I felt sad it was ending, but I felt overwhelming peace and clarity in that decision. That peace gave me the confidence and confirmation I needed from God that this was what I was supposed to do. If you have prayed about it, and you still feel uneasy and uncomfortable, God may be saying "no" to you.

In addition, God may be saying "no" if different doors open. If you prayed for one thing, but different doors begin to open, it may be a sign that God has something bigger and better than you had in mind. If you are twisting the Bible to say what you want it to say, this is a blatant sign God is telling you “No". 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 tells us, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." This is why it is so important to check everything against the Word of God. Finally, God is likely saying "no" if you are denying your own conscience in an effort to hear a yes. This “conscience” is often the Holy Spirit's voice working in us.

One of the hardest things I've had to wrestle with in hearing the voice of God is this: does my fear mean God is saying no? From a young age, my parents have always had to push me to try new things. I remember when my parents were trying to encourage me to audition for my first musical. I cried just thinking about the idea of it because I was so scared. Yet, a little while later, I heard God call me to take this step... in the shower no less! While only being 7 years old, I came downstairs and told my parents that I heard God telling me to audition. They were shocked, to say the least. Over the course of my life, I have come to recognize the fear in my life as usually being a "yes", rather than a "no". Now, let me be clear. There are two kinds of fear. There's that feeling of dread that we discussed earlier which is often a warning, and then there's more of an anxious anticipation when you're doing something big. For the majority of my life, whenever I felt scared to do something it usually meant I was meant to do it. Why? Because whether I realize it or not, my heart and my head know it's something I should do.

I have my own little formula for figuring this out. I take the fear out of the equation. If when I do that, I'm left excited and knowing it doesn't go against anything God's Word tells me, I can start to see God's hand in it. Yet, I still get this feeling like I'm going to throw up, and question, "Who am I to do this?" But whenever that question creeps into my mind, God asks me, "Who is your God that He can't do this?" Once I start pursuing that thing that brought me fear, I stay in this nervousness. I rarely ever feel settled, and there is a reason for it. I am about to grow. Think of a seed. When it starts to grow, the roots grow down into the ground. Before it breaches the surface, there's a quiver and a pop when the seed is cracking its shell. So, if you're quivering about something, it usually means you're about to grow too.

When Jesus confronted the devil in the desert, He did not confront him with His emotions or in fear. He knew the enemy's voice and refused to be influenced by anything other than God. So, how do you know God's voice? God's voice convicts in love while the enemy brings guilt and shame. God's voice encourages and reassures us of His truth while the enemy discourages and instills fear. God's voice leads, guides, and stills while the enemy's voice pushes and rushes. God's voice brings comfort while the enemy's voice brings chaos. God's voice calms us, and the enemy's voice obsesses and worries us. Perhaps the most distinguishable feature, God's voice brings clarity and confirmation while the enemy's voice brings confusion.

May your roots run deep, and your faith remain strong! As always, Stay Rooted, my friends! <3