Isaiah 41:10
“… fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
It was the same face that looked back at me in the mirror every morning, the same face I washed every night, the same face on which I applied makeup. But there was something different that day. A pea-sized, waxy spot felt sort of tingly on the end of my nose. At first, I thought it must be a blister from the sun as we’d just returned from vacation but remembered I hadn’t gotten a burn. Concerned, I made the call for a dermatology appointment where a biopsy was taken and then I waited. And prayed. Hard. I asked many to pray for me, that the results would be benign. The answer came back, and it was not what I had hoped—it was basal cell carcinoma and the growth had to be removed. Was I disappointed? Yes. Was I scared? Yes, a bit, and I had reason to be. Three surgeries were required over a period of four weeks followed by an additional three weeks to return to normal activity. The marked scaring took a year to heal. The first step was Mohs surgery to remove the cancer; the second was in-patient plastic surgery to bring skin down from my forehead to fill the quarter-sized hole on my nose; lastly, more plastic surgery to do the final repair.
I prayed and prayed for a different outcome, but God said “No.” The many years I have been a Christian have taught me a lot about this life of faith. One thing I know for certain—He never promised that our lives would be easy. Another thing I know—He promises to answer prayer and to be there in our midst with whatever the result. I sensed His presence, filling me with the grace I needed to endure.
When we pray, His answers come in three ways: yes, no, or wait. It’s hard to accept an answer of “no.” We struggle and often ask, “Why, Lord?” Here are some thoughts to ponder over that age-old question:
• We’re not the only ones—think of poor Job who probably had the most to lose and pretty much lost it all. Job 20:20
• We are in His care—He knows what’s best for us, but it may not be the easy path. Romans 8:28, Romans 5:3-4, 2 Cor. 4:17
• We should assess our condition—it gives us an opportunity to make things right with God. If there is anything that separates us from Him, we should be quick to confess and make things right. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that our sin has brought His “no” answer, but we should always be ready to come clean and ask for forgiveness.
• We may see a better “yes”—God may have a better plan in the long run as Mary and Martha experienced with Lazarus. (John 11:1-44 and John 12:1-11)
• We check our response—for me, what I’ve learned about the Lord’s “no” answers is that He begins working to soften my heart well before the “no” answer so that my response is full of grace and trust in the outcome.
• We live in a fallen world—the sting of sin affects us all, but Christ is present in our suffering, and there is always hope as He will provide healing in this world or the next.
Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your intimate presence in our lives and that You know all about our fears, pain, and suffering. When a scary world surrounds us, and difficult circumstances befall us, hear our pleas for mercy and deliverance. As You are always good and always faithful, we will rejoice in the “yes,” have patience in the “wait,” and pray for the grace to withstand the “no.” Whatever You are working in our lives, we trust You. It is for Jesus’ sake we pray. Amen.
~ painting by James Coates Fine Art
