God Said No

“‘Please let me go over and see the good land ...’ But the LORD was angry with me ... And the LORD said to me, ‘Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again.’” (Deut. 3:26)

Does your theology have room for a God who says, “Enough from you … ”? 

The Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is not a servile genie who lives to satisfy our wishes. He is the all-knowing God whose eternal wisdom is higher than our fleeting desires. 

He loved Moses enough to tell him “No”—and he loves you just the same.

A loving father will not acquiesce to the dangerous demands of his toddler. Neither will your heavenly Father let you skip to destruction along the path of our desires.

Because God cannot violate his commitment to work for your good, he cannot give you everything you want. 

Consider your “unanswered” prayers from five years ago: aren’t you glad that God didn’t give you everything you asked for?

God said “enough” to Moses because he wanted to give more than he asked, not less. 

Moses only asked to pass into the promised land. 

But God knew that one day, he would stand on top of the promised land next to the Son of God.

“And [Jesus] was transfigured before them … And behold, there appeared to them Moses … talking with him.” (Matt.17:2-3)

When God says “enough” to what you want, it is only because he wants more. Your grand wish is a little thing compared to what he has in mind.