When God Says, “No”

Acts 16:6-7 (ESV) – And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.

Have you ever received a “No” from God without any idea what his “Yes” is? Perhaps you were doing what you thought he wanted you to but something was preventing you from moving forward. Maybe your leaders have told you they will not allow you to implement your new ideas. You may have run into a financial or relational barrier. There are also times we have a transcendent lack of peace that seems like it could be God’s way of saying, “No.”

If you have experienced any of those, you are in good company. After the apostle Paul, along with his new protégés Silas and Timothy, visited the churches of Lycaonia he and Barnabas planted on their first journey, it made sense they would keep going down the road to the largest city in the region – one of the largest in whole Roman Empire: Ephesus. It would make sense they would start a church in such an influential location. That could maximize efficient and effective growth of the Christian church. Yet, God said, “No.” We do not know if the “No” was a prophetic word, an internal sense of God’s direction, or something physically preventing the team from going to Ephesus, but they interpreted it as the Holy Spirit forbidding them to speak in the province of Asia, of which Ephesus was the capital. They had a similar experience as they tried to go north. This time, Luke wrote, “The Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.” They got two “Nos” from God without a “Yes.” That had to be frustrating. I don’t know about you, but I always want a “Yes” from God, but it doesn’t always come as I would prefer.

1.  Sometimes God’s “Yes” is clear and immediate – As we see throughout Acts and Paul’s letters, God often did give clear direction, sometimes through a vision, a dream, a prophetic message, or even an appearance of Jesus. In my book, I tell the story of how God clearly and unmistakably called us to leave the Pacific Northwest and move across the country to Southeastern University. God may speak clearly to you, as well. Be sure to do what he says.
2. Sometimes God will allow us to do what we want – We saw earlier that Paul took Timothy with him as a protégé because he “wanted” to (Acts 16:3). God confirmed that decision with a spiritual gift and fruitful ministry, but Paul’s personal desire seems to be the reason God said, “Yes.” I never received a prophetic message or divine visitation before proposing marriage to Keira, but I am sure glad I did. For over thirty years we have experienced God’s blessing on choosing what I wanted within the boundaries of clear biblical instruction.
3. Sometimes it takes a journey to get to “Yes” – Paul and crew kept walking even when they got the “No.” Note that this “No” was a “Not Here,” not a “Stop Your Mission.” Paul received a life mission on the Road to Damascus (Acts 9) many years before that included a call to share the message of Jesus. He kept doing what he knew he was called to do but did not do it where God said, “No.” Eventually, they came to Troas, and there, after a 400 mile journey on foot, God finally spoke to Paul through a night vision (Acts 16:9).
4.  Sometimes we need help from others to understand the “Yes” – Acts 16:10 is significant because, for the first time, Luke wrote himself into the story, as we see a pronoun shift from “they” to “we.” Notice what Luke, Timothy, and Silas did. They helped Paul interpret the vision he received of a man calling from Macedonia, across the Aegean Sea. There have been many times in my life someone I trusted helped me discern more clearly what God was calling me to do. Be open to the input of others.
5.  Sometimes today’s “No” can be a “Yes” on another day – Paul did get to stop at Ephesus at the end of this second journey, about two years later (Acts 18:11 & 19). He ended up spending over two years there on his third journey (Acts 19:10) and that church became one of the strongest and most influential churches in Christianity for the next couple of centuries. Why didn’t Jesus allow them to go sooner? We do not get to know. All we know is that the “Yes” did come in an incredible way later than Paul may have initially thought best.

Be open to any “Yes” God sends your way, but realize whatever kind of “No” God gives you means a much better future is in store if you will stay on the journey with Jesus.