God says "Yes"

I have heard it said that when we pray God has three possible answers: yes, no, or not now.

The problem with that concept, especially when we don’t get what we pray for, is determining whether the answer is ‘no’ or ‘not now.’  If that’s really the way it works and we don’t get what we ask for, are we supposed to give up or keep asking?  When I was a child and my parents said ‘no’ to something I really wanted, I would beg and plead until I got it or until my parents got angry and gave me a definitive ‘NO!’  Are we supposed to do the same with God?

Lakewood Church Pastor and bestselling author, Joel Osteen, in his book, Break Out! – 5 Keys to go Beyond Your Barriers and Live an Extraordinary Life, states that we have to go through our ‘no’s’ on the way to our ‘yeses.’  He contends that the ‘no’s’ are part of God’s plan, and that God’s ‘no’s’ are often a test of our faith. Mr. Osteen says that God has ‘yeses’ in our future and that we must be persistent in our asking until we receive a ‘yes.’  He asserts that God says, “Yes is coming your way.”

The idea that God says ‘no’ or ‘not now’ does not work with my concept of God.  The belief that God says ‘no’ assumes that God makes evaluations or judgments about what we should or should not have.  That concept of God speaks of a God created in the image of humankind, a God that gives to some and withholds from others, which is the opposite of man being created in the image of God.

The concept of a capricious God, with base human characteristics, does not mesh with my current understanding of God.  God is Pure Consciousness.  God is Absolute Good, as Unity’s first basic principle states.  God, as we understand God, is Principle, unchanging and unchangeable.  God is the one Source, the one Life, the one Presence, and the one Power.  The Consciousness of God (Good) is always expressing and expanding.  God is constantly and consistently giving All as all.

I hesitate to use an anthropomorphic analogy for God because I do not wish to reinforce that image of God, but I will do so here in order to express my point. If God answered our asking verbally, God would always say ‘Yes!’  God would say, “I have given All.  It is yours to accept as you choose.  All you need to do is release from your consciousness that which is blocking the manifestation of Good (God) in your life experience.”  It is up to us to recognize it, realize it, and reveal it. In short, it is up to us to say ‘Yes!’ to God.

The Consciousness that is God always reflects back to us that which we are saying ‘Yes’ to – not necessarily verbally, but through the projection of our minds which consists of not only thoughts, but our feelings as well.  God (Pure Consciousness) only shows us the perfect reflection of our own consciousness.  Within that, God says, ‘”Yes, you are seeing in the world of form exactly what you, in your mind are saying ‘yes’ to.”

If we are not experiencing the totality of God’s Good, it is because our consciousness has not evolved and expanded to allow it and to receive it.  If we are not experiencing the manifestation of our desire, it is because our minds are blocking our awareness and acceptance of it.  We are saying ‘Yes’ to something that we do not desire.

From this understanding, the question, “Why does God keep saying ‘no’ to my prayers?” becomes, “What am I saying ‘Yes’ to that is not a match to my deepest desire to allow and receive Good in my life?”

Do you have a desire that is yet to manifest?  Are you experiencing something in your life that seems to be in direct opposition to what you do desire? If you answer in the affirmative to either of those questions, I invite you to take an honest look at your beliefs around the desire.  Are you unconsciously saying ‘yes’ to something you do not desire? Are you holding a belief that is opposing your desire?  Are you willing to release it and affirm a new belief that supports the realization of your desire?  It truly is your choice.  God never says ‘no.’ God does not say ‘not now.’  God always says ‘Yes!’  We just have to be clear about what we are saying ‘Yes!’ to.