The Soft No

You can almost tell when God is not going to grant a request, even the most ardent ones. When praying to Him, there is a silence- a stillness as you are asking, almost as though He has pulled back for a time. I never noticed it before, of course, but the more I go to Him the more I recognize it. It's not as though a door is being slammed in the face, but more like a "not now . . . you do not understand." It's a soft "no", but never a yell. In the darkness, quiet yet firm, the answer always resides.