Blake Long

The beauty of trusting the Lord enough to say, “Even if you don’t” is that it reveals we have assurance of his love. Do you have assurance of God’s love for you?

How many times growing up did your parents say no to you, yet you never lacked assurance of their love? You knew they loved you even when their answer didn’t feel great. You may have disliked their answer and wondered why they didn’t say yes, but you didn’t doubt their love for you.
As a parent now for three years, I completely understand this. I tell my daughter no many times each day—partly because it’s the responsible thing to do when she gets too close to the stove—and I do so out of love. My “no” isn’t proof of the absence of my love for her, but is an expression of it.

The same is true with our Heavenly Father, but to a much greater extent. Not everybody has great parents. Many have parents who are unloving, deadbeat, and couldn’t care less. This is not so with God. God is not a deadbeat, but a Heavenly Father who is always there, always caring, always loving—even when he says no. God tells us no to stretch our faith, to point us to something bigger. Oftentimes God’s “no” simply means he wants us to rest satisfied in him.