When God says, "No."

There is no church sponsoring 24 hour prayer today in Gainesville. Think about getting your congregation involved.

I have heard people say, "God answers prayer every time. The answer is either yes, no, or not yet." A pretty simple concept, but what happens when life is complicated? What do you do when it seems like God has said "no," and there is no where else to turn?

Judges 10:¹⁰ Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, “We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals.”
 ¹¹ The LORD replied, “When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, ¹² the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites^[c] oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands? ¹³ But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. ¹⁴ Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!”
 ¹⁵ But the Israelites said to the LORD, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.” ¹⁶ Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the LORD. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer.

 The Lord told the Israelites in no uncertain terms that the answer was "No." He even told them why. But the Israelites admitted their fault, put away their false gods, and threw themselves on God's mercy. And it worked.

The Lord wants to deliver our city. He wants to save us from our troubles. It remains to be seen that we are desperate enough to own our faults, admit our slackness, and show God that we are serious.