When God says no…

Happy Friday!

It’s that Friday where I share a bit of my heart. (So if you want to skip to the free book at the bottom, this is your chance. )

It’s been a week over here in the Susan May Warren office. Lots of editing going on for a book coming out next summer (an awesome trilogy about Summer Rangers working in the Grand Canyon. I’m writing it with the amazing Tari Faris and…oh, it’s fabulous).

But in the midst of it, my heart has been heavy. I’d been praying for something for a while…and this week God said, No. (Or maybe…not now.)

It was a blow. It meant someone I care for will suffer. It meant that evil won (or so it looks like! But we know the truth, right?) I had two very sleepless nights, praying.

And then I got to the part in the manuscript where the hero grapples with this verse..

God doesn’t say if. He says when.

It makes me think of the terrible flooding in Texas last week. The survival stories and the grief. Heartbreaking. My daily quiet time always includes the psalms, and yesterday’s was Psalm 88… “My heart is full of troubles and death draws near” (one of David’s lamenting psalms). Today’s was Psalm 89, of course… “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever!”

It can be both at the same time—painful suffering with soul healing joy. Wise Hubs said to me, God give us a choice—we can cling to Him in suffering, and let him comfort, even deepen us, or we can go our own way. I often use this theme in my stories—(because let’s face it—my people are often in over their heads!)

I chose comfort. I hit my knees and poured out all my grief to the Lord. And then I began to line up my thoughts with truth. God is good. He is with us wherever we go. He will not forsake us. And yes, sometimes he saves out of the waters. Sometimes he says no.

But he is in the water with us.

And I realized… No life is wrecked when it is in the hands of God. Romans 8:28 reassures us of this (and countless other verses and examples. Hello Joseph, right?)

My girl Austen clings to this hope as she floats in the middle of the sea (with sharks at her feet). My guy Declan clings to this when he is also afloat in the sea, (he gets a life raft, because he’s not as tough as Austen. )

I cling to that when God says No. He has a reason. He is good. My job is to hold on.

If you’d like to read Austen’s story of how she holds on, the book is available exclusively at Amazon and on Kindle Unlimited.

Okay, deep thoughts are over. We can return to our regularly scheduled programing.

But…I hope that if you feel like you’re in deep water today, that you will reach out and find His hand, ready to grab you and keep you afloat.

With love,

P.S Free Book Friday! Check out this fabulous historical romance from one of my favorite authors, Gabrielle Meyer! She is a fantastic historical writer, and I think you’ll love this lovely story about an American Bride: