A short sermon by Holly Furtick (YouTube) explaining that God hears us but sometimes answers differently or later than we expect because, like a good parent, He knows what is best. Holly uses personal anecdotes — being denied a mall visit by her mother and her children’s long request for a dog (Graham, Abby, Beau/Bo) — to illustrate that waiting or a seeming ‘no’ can reflect better timing, preparation, or a superior outcome. The talk closes with encouragement to trust God’s timing and a call-to-action to subscribe.
Chapters
Here's the thing that I've noticed in my life. God is always speaking to me, but a lot of times what I equate as feeling blocked is actually me not wanting to hear what he's saying to me. And I miss the message or I ignore the instructions because I'm so focused on the answer that I want him to him to give me. Like, I remember when I was in middle school, I wanted my mom to drop me off at the mall alone with my friends so we could walk around. And I asked her over and over and over, and my mom was like, absolutely not. My mom's at our Greenville campus right now. She did not care that everyone else's moms were dropping them off. She did not care that I was missing out on all the fun. Over her dead body was she gonna drop off her 13 year old daughter at Dadeland Mall in Miami, Florida. And I was so mad. And I hit her with every excuse. You don't trust me? You don't think I can handle it? And I literally, I mean, like every angle. And she would not budge. And I remember saying to her, why won't you answer me? And she said, I have answered you. You just don't like my answer. Listen, tonight I'm not trying to diminish what you're going through. And I want to make it clear to you that as a child of God, you can and you should ask him for everything that you want. Everything. You should have the faith to believe. And you can have the faith to believe that God will heal you, that God will save your marriage, that God will provide for your every need. God can give you the job, the man, the baby. God wants to give you the desires of your heart. And he is a good father who likes to give good gifts to his children. And sometimes you need to have the faith to keep visualizing the thing that you are believing God for. Like Graham and Abby, they asked their dad for a dog for years. Years. Graham wrote a song, Abby drew pictures, they made lists. They made up contracts that they signed. They promised their dad he would never have to do anything to help with the dog. And finally, years later, when their dad thought the time was right, their request was answered. And Beau came into our family. Okay, I gotta give you a little update on Bo since we're talking about Bo, because Bo's been in our family for about a year and a half now. And the other day, Steven and Beau and I went for a walk and we decided to do like an extra loop. And we got worried because it Started to get hotter because we started off in the morning, but it started to get really hot. And we got worried that Beau was overheating because, you know, he's like. He's the Boston Terry. He has, like, the smashed face and they overheat, apparently. And anyway, have you seen those tiktoks that are like, my dad with the dog. He didn't want. Do you know what I'm talking about? And I mean, since we're talking about the dog and it's reflect and it's the one night of the year that I get to preach and show whatever pictures I want to show. Do you want to see a picture of your pastor with the dog? He didn't want to. He carried him down the driveway. He was overheating. I want to say something else about that picture, but I'm not. Okay. Okay. So my point is. My point is we gotta get back. Okay, we're back to the sermon. Back to the sermon. My point is God hears you. God is not ignoring you. But as a good father, he is considering so much more than what you want. Sometimes he's making sure the timing is right. Sometimes God does have to say no, though, because as all the parents in this room would agree, just like my mom wouldn't drop me off at the mall. The mark of a good father is not how happy his children are. The mark of a good father is that he knows what is best for his child. And sometimes you have to wait because there's something that God needs to put in you before he gives you what you're asking for. Sometimes there's something that he needs to work out of you before he gives you what you're asking for. Sometimes there's something better than what you're asking for. Hey, thanks for watching. I hope that that encouraged you today. Make sure that you subscribe so that you don't miss out on other videos like this, and I'll see you back here next time.
