No Matter What

by Sarah Schurman

So often, when we make the commitment to serve God with our life, there is an unspoken expectation that accompanies this decision, that God will be more inclined to grant our prayer requests. Our assumption doubles when our request is a good one such as marriage or children versus a want like a better car or job. When this petition is denied there is a possibility of our wondering why we received a no which could lead to a buildup of resentment and even cause us to lose our zeal for the Lord. When God says “no”, we are tempted to believe He doesn’t love us and this temptation has the potential to grow stronger when we see others receiving what our soul desires, specifically if they are not “serving” like we are. For some, this

denied request can send them in a different direction, on a journey of self-reflection, examining their hearts to see if there is an internal reason for His answer. While this is not always a bad thing, taking a moment and looking within, if the reason is done solely for the purpose of altering God’s answer, it is wrong. The Lord will not be manipulated under any circumstances.

A mature believer understands that God is not obligated to grant every petition brought before Him just because of a life dedicated to Him. They also recognize that a “no” to a request does not mean He doesn’t love them, in fact, it is a sign of just how much He does care for us. God is always good, which means that His “no’s” are as well. An important truth we must remember is that a “yes” cannot be earned and one’s character is not the basis for answered prayer.

We see a beautiful example of this in the life of Elisabeth. "There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. Winter 2022 | Sit still my daughter And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years." Luke 1:5-7

In a time when a woman’s value often stemmed from her ability to produce a son, there must have been a longing in her heart for a child of her own yet she didn’t let her lack hinder or even prevent her from following diligently after God. It did not stop her from faithfully serving Him all of her days. It could be argued that if anyone deserved a “yes” it was Elisabeth, a woman descended from the direct line of Aaron. She was married to a godly man whose entire life was dedicated to serving God as well. Surely there was no couple more worthy of receiving a granted petition, a child, yet here they were well advanced in years still without an heir. Still, this husband and wife had determined long ago to be faithful to God and His service no matter what.

They had lived this principle in their youth and now into their golden years. But just because

14 Sit still my daughter | Winter 2022

God has said “no” right now does not mean it will not become a “yes” later as it did for this couple. Often at the most unexpected time God will grant us the desire of our heart right in the midst of our serving and seeking Him as it was for Zacharias. He was in the midst of executing his duties in the temple, burning incense before the Lord when the angel Gabriel appeared with a special message.

"But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth." Luke 1:13-14

Here it is revealed that they had long prayed for a child, a request that had been heard by God but would be answered in His perfect timing, which was now. This is also a sweet reminder to us to continue

in prayer, that no petition is tossed out but carefully reviewed by our Heavenly Father. He takes the time to consider our request and determines if it is the best for us. Then He decides, if it is a “yes”, just when is the right time to answer it. For Elisabeth, the time was now, when she was well stricken in years. What must have gone through her mind as her husband, through silent motions, remember he was unable to speak, shared the message from the angel Gabriel. She who had been barren all her life was about to be a mother, in a season when all hope was gone. But that is one of the marvelous things about our God, there is always. He is the source and giver of all hope. What a delightful truth on which to pause and meditate on.

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Romans 15:13

It is imperative that we understand Elisabeth’s service and faith in God was not determined by His actions toward her. She remained loyal to the Lord, not because He had granted her every request or guaranteed her a perfect life, but because she loved

and feared Him above all else. She was a woman with a right focus and so in tune with her Heavenly Father that she understood the meaning of her son’s reaction in the womb to Mary’s visit. " And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy." Luke 1:42-43

This is one of the characteristics that define a woman who serves God no matter what. She is one who has devoted her life to knowing God, to learning all that she can about the One who created her. Elisabeth was also a woman who understood that God was not giving her a child because she had finally done enough to earn it. This is a critical detail to understand because we can have this false belief that our service to God entitles us to a blessing. That is completely false. This idea is dangerous because it can cause our service to Him to fail when things don’t go according to our plan or timeline. Elisabeth’s “no matter what” attitude was based, not on God’s treatment of her, but on the truth of His character. He is always good and His will is always best. A woman who has spent her life seeking to know the Lord will be motivated and able to serve Him, to remain faithful to Him and His calling for her life, no matter what, because she trusts in Him with her whole heart.

This should be our desire as women of God, it should be our defining quality, that we are committed to Him no matter what. No matter how many of our dreams, good dreams, go unfulfilled. No matter how many trials we may go through. No matter how much loss we may endure. A woman who knows God is a woman who can trust in His unchanging character, resting in the assurance of this truth and living with the goal of hearing these words spoken to us when we stand before our King, “Well done thou good and faithful servant”.

“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine:” Prov. 17:22

Excerpt from a cat's

Day 683 of my captivity: my captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomited on the floor. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. The audacity! There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to my power of "allergies". I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage. Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs. I am convinced that the other prisoners here are snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released and he seems more than willing to return! He is obviously retarded. The bird has got to be an informant, I observed him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. The captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe, for now. But I can wait. It is only a matter of time!

Two elderly women were out driving a large car. Both could barely see over the dashboard. As they were cruising along, they came to an intersection. The stoplight was red, but they just went on through. The woman in the passenger seat thought to herself, "I must be losing it. I could have sworn we just went through a red light." After a few more minutes, they came to another intersection, and the light was red again. They went right through it. This time, the woman in the passenger seat was almost sure that the light had been red and was really concerned that she was losing it. She was getting nervous and decided to pay very close attention to the road and the next intersection to see what was going on. At the next intersection, the light was definitely red, and sure enough, they went right through again. She turned to the other woman and said, "Mildred! Did you know we just ran through three red lights in a row? You could have killed us!" Mildred turned to her and said, "Oh my, am I driving?"