“I thank God for all the times he told me no because He had a better yes.” 

Job 2:3 NLV

“Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless – a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” 

Job 2:8-10 NLV

“Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die. But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.”

I was pulling up plants from my flower bed last week. The Lord typically speaks to me at moments I least expect it. I was mainly upset that adulting hit me hard during the quick freeze we had a few weeks back here in Southeast Tx. The thought of covering my plants.. NEVER CROSSED MY MIND.

I had been busy and caught up in my everyday life. So, here I was pulling up my beautiful flowers that I for some reason was able to keep thriving for several months. This included the Nephthytis I have had from my Grandparent’s since they passed. Needless to say, I was pretty hurt with that one. God laid on my heart that a lot of times us as humans thrive. We feel like we have it all together when we’re just going from day to day. He reminded me that those are the times that people typically say yes to me. They say yes when it’s comfortable, yes when it follows in with their everyday routine. They even say yes when it may make their life a little more fun, a little more brighter. 

Then one day they get caught up in their everyday life. Drifting away from church. They stop plugging into community. Perhaps they are fully on fire for Christ, and then the path changes. They have a new normal. They stop listening for me and the coldness of this world and reality we live in hit. Breaking them – just like it does to plants. The “yes” doesn’t seem all that comforting anymore. Perhaps the yes even hurts.

“Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes.” This is when Satan reached out and took Job’s health. He was struck with terrible boils from head to toe. I think of Job 2:8 deeper. What was really going through his mind as he sat there – scrapping his skin.

At that moment it seems as if the world that he knew was falling apart. His comfortable life of serving Christ tumbled down. I believe many of us walk this path. But once again, Job didn’t tell the Lord no. Job had to continue saying yes to Christ. Yes to serving him. Yes to being obedient. Even though it hurt. We plead to God to take our pain. We ask him to remove the confusion. 

You’ve heard the quote: 

“God answers all prayers. Yes, not right now, or no.”

There is truth to it. He hears you. He won’t always answer the way we would like all the time. Be thankful for the yes. Be thankful for the no. 

“So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than the beginning.” Job 42:12