In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”
(2 Kings 20:1 NIV)
In a singing contest where kids compete to become “the Voice,” a child, who didn’t make it to the next round, was told not to be upset because a “no” is often just as good as a “yes,” and was encouraged to come back the following year and try again. I’m not sure if the judge’s advice was of any help to the disappointed child, but it sure carried a lot of truth in it for me.
Isn’t it interesting how a “no” answer can often drive us to try harder, make better choices and be the best that we can be? Even if we were not competing in a singing contest, we would all admit that there were times when the things that we wanted and didn’t receive right away – or didn’t receive at all – were God’s gracious way of redirecting us. Such was the case with King Hezekiah. When the prophet Isaiah told the king that he wasn’t going to recover from his illness, Hezekiah was so upset that he humbly turned to God in prayer, and God heard his prayer and granted him fifteen more years to live, during which the king and the nation witnessed God’s awesome deliverance (2 Kings 20:2-6).
Thank God for His “no” because oftentimes it’s just as good as His “yes.”
God’s “no” is not a rejection, it’s a redirection.
-Unknown
Rising with the Son 