The Only One Who Decides

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear

There are times when we make requests from others, but they deny those requests. We may feel that it would have been so easy for them to do what we were asking, and therefore we become insulted that we were denied. Other times we try to get in touch with people by calling them or emailing them and they don't respond and, once again, we get insulted. If we would only take to heart more that the only One who decides if our requests are accepted is Hashem, and the only One who decides if our phone calls are answered is Hashem, then we would save ourselves so much pain and heartache and instead gain tremendously in our avodat Hashem by showing our belief in His control. I read a story in the Be'er HaParasha that took place just a week ago. A young man got an infection in his blood which spread to the heart and required him to undergo a surgery to fix it. He was going to have to stay in the hospital until the surgery and his friends wanted to do something to give him chizuk . They decided they were going to make a big dinner with music and have Divrei Torah that would lift his spirits. The hospital, however, refused to give them a room that would accommodate what they were trying to accomplish, especially since they didn't even allow visitors during the evening hours. They tried getting influential people to get the hospital to make an exception, but they were unsuccessful. The hospital did agree to allow the patient to leave the hospital for a couple of hours to a nearby location, and so immediately his friends tried to book the only hall next to the hospital, but they found out it was already taken. They tried to think of other venues close by, but nothing worked out. There were three school buildings in the neighborhood and they tried to get in touch with the principals of those three schools to see if they would allow them to use one of those buildings. None of the three principals answered their phones. The friends then got respected rebbes who taught in those schools to call the principals, but even with them calling there was no answer. One of the rebbes had an idea to ask one of the parents from the schools who lived in that neighborhood to allow them to use their house. A few phone calls were made and, finally, a parent agreed. When he found out that they were doing a chesed for a sick patient in the hospital, he insisted on paying for all of the expenses involved. They had the dinner there and, indeed, it was a beautiful event that gave the patient a lot of chizuk . It was interesting, right after this man volunteered his house, all three principals called back to see what the rebbes who called needed. But they were no longer needed for the schools. During the dinner, the host asked about what sickness the patient had. They told him it was a very rare blood infection. The host then said his neighbor had the exact same rare infection and he called him to come over right away. The neighbor came and gave them so much information that he discovered in his fight with that illness. He gave them a lot of chizuk and the information he shared with them helped them tremendously. At that moment, they saw how Hashem guided them to that very house where the one person who knew about this illness would help them. The hospital denying their requests even after the influential people interceded was the hand of Hashem. The principals not answering their phones to allow their schools was the hand of Hashem. This is always the way it is. It's just here we saw one of the reasons why Hashem was denying their requests and making those people not answer their phones. We should never get insulted when people don't reply to us or don't help us because it's always m’et Hashem and it's always for our best.