Whether we are praying for good health, healing, an improvement in our relationships or for a new job, it can be so hard to feel like God is saying “No” to the good things we want. This week Danielle shares her thoughts on what we can do when we struggle in this way.
Snippet from the Show
Trust in God’s goodness and rest in him.
Shownotes
Danielle’s Six Tips for When God Is Saying “No”
- Give yourself permission to grieve.
It’s not wrong to want good things for yourself and those you love. If you have been praying a long time for some specific outcome that does not come to pass, don’t deny feeling frustrated, sad, rejected, or betrayed. Bring those negative emotions to God and allow yourself to grieve the loss of the thing you have been asking for.
- Work on your understanding of suffering.
So often, we struggle with hard things because we do notunderstand the value of suffering. Of course, we would never choose suffering or loss, but God does allow it for our own good and for the good of others sometimes. Explore ways that you can offer up your suffering and grow closer to God in the process.
- Examine your motives.
Maybe the things you have been praying for are very good things, but think about why you really want them? Are they for your own vanity or glory in some way? Pray to be open to the ways God might be calling you to pursue other things for His greater glory instead.
- Ask yourself what God is saying Yes to?
In what ways might you be able to interpret God’s “No” toone thing as a “Yes” to something else? How is God guiding you and communicating his will to you through the doors he allows to close? What doors is he opening for you instead?
- Don’t believe the lies.
Especially when we are struggling, Satan tempts us to believe the lies that God does not love us, that he has abandoned us, or that he does not want good things for us. These are lies that always lead to sorrow and sin. Don’t fall for it!
- Rest in God’s goodness.
Spend some time reading Scripture and then praying and reflecting on the goodness of God. Allow him to love you and give you comfort and peace, right there in the midst of the struggle you are experiencing right now.
Listener Question (33:28)
Danielle responds to a question from JW who is longing for greater intimacy in her marriage.
Danielle’s new book, Whisper: Finding God in the Everyday, is available to order!
Bishop Robert Barron’s Podcast
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Join our Girlfriends Podcast Facebook group!
To go beyond the podcast, join us at the Girlfriends Community, an encouraging and supportive online community for Catholic women from all walks of life.
RETREAT
You’re Worth It! A Retreat for Women
Find out more about bringing this unique event for women to your parish, group, or community. Read more and request more information here.
Or find out more about having me come speak at your parish or conference.
CONTACT
Email Danielle Bean
Rate and Review Girlfriends in iTunes
Leave voice feedback
Girlfriends on Facebook, Danielle Bean on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Voxer
Megan Madden
Megan Madden is a homeschooling mother with a passion for writing and speaking on authentic femininity and virtuous womanhood. In 2017, she began graduate studies in marriage and family at the International Theological Institute in Austria. After moving to Kraków, Poland to work with university students, Megan more personally continued her research on the complementarity of man and woman, particularly on the question of what it means to be a woman. She delved into the study of renowned Catholic writers on women such as St. Edith Stein, Gertrude von le Fort, Alice von Hildebrand, St. John Paul II, and St. Teresa of Avila.
The results were the development of Megan’s online ministry A Mother’s Lace, as well as speaking opportunities and her book with Ascension: Mary, Teach Me to Be Your Daughter.
Megan lives outside of Oxford, England with her husband, who is a lecturer in theology, and their five children.
