When God Says No - All Our Daily Bread Daily Devotionals for 2026

Our Daily Bread - Saturday, December 29, 2018
by RBC Ministries

Details

When God Says No

Read: Isaiah 25:1-5 | Bible in a Year: Zechariah 9-12; Revelation 20

In perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.
Isaiah 25:1

When I was conscripted into the military at age eighteen, as all young Singaporean men are, I prayed desperately for an easy posting. A clerk or driver, perhaps. Not being particularly strong, I hoped to be spared the rigors of combat training. But one evening as I read my Bible, one verse leaped off the page: "My grace is sufficient for you . . ." (2 Corinthians 12:9).

My heart droppedâ€”but it shouldn't have. God had answered my prayers. Even if I received a difficult assignment, He would provide for me.

So I ended up as an armored infantryman, doing things I didn't always enjoy. Looking back now, I'm grateful God didn't give me what I wanted. The training and experience toughened me physically and mentally and gave me confidence to enter adulthood.

In Isaiah 25:1-5, after prophesying Israel's punishment and subsequent deliverance from her enemies, the prophet praises God for His plans. All these "wonderful things," Isaiah notes, had been "planned long ago" (v. 1), yet they included some arduous times.

It can be hard to hear God saying no, and even harder to understand when we're praying for something goodâ€”like someone's deliverance from a crisis. That's when we need to hold on to the truth of God's good plans. We may not understand why, but we can keep trusting in His love, goodness, and faithfulness.

Lord, give me the faith to keep trusting You even when You say no.

When God says no, He has a plan. Keep trusting Him!

By Leslie Koh

More From Our Daily Devotional Archives

The LORD is near
for Monday, December 9, 2013
by Jacob Redekop, Brian Reynolds, John van Dijk, Eugene P. Vedder Jr

Jehovah appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre. And...

Jehovah appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre. And he sat at the tent-door in the heat of the day. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, three men standing near him.
(Genesis 18:1)

The spiritual elevation of Abraham in Genesis 18 and 19 is something very peculiar. He seems...More

Open Heavens
for Thursday, December 26, 2013
by Pastor E.A Adeboye

FASTING IS NECESSARY

To relate with the Holy Spirit, you must be holy. You must also exercise a living faith, pray and fast. Some people will tell you that because had finished the work of salvation, there is no need to fast. To them, fasting is completely needless and is some form of self-inflicted punishment. But they forget that...More

Open Heavens
for Wednesday, August 27, 2014
by Pastor E.A Adeboye

REWARD FOR LABOUR

Jacob sojourned with Laban and laboured for him for several years. At first, his host was cheating him at every opportunity, and the years of his hard labour were almost in vain. Down the line, God had to intervene to enable Jacob eat the fruit of his labour. For a reader of this devotional, in every area that you...More

Open Heavens
for Friday, November 20, 2015
by Pastor E.A Adeboye

HOW PROPHETIC ARE YOUR NAMES?

The name you bear is very important because it serves as your identity and your future may be connected to it. The name a person bears is sometimes indicative of the experiences he or she will encounter in life. Take for instance Moses: this name means "drawn out of water"

Bible in one year:
Job...More