EVEN IF HE DOESN’T.

An account in the Bible I frequently think about is the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Daniel 3). This story has been very popular since my Sunday school days, but as I grow older, I get more and more insight from it. One thing that always stands out to me is the audacious nature of those three Hebrew young men. It can be so easy to focus solely on how the story ended, but the journey to the end matters a lot to me.

These were 3 Godfearing young men who were bold enough to stand up for their faith despite a decree from the King to do otherwise. They knew the potential consequences of disobeying the order of the King to bow down to his man-made god. They knew they faced death but still decided not to foresake their conviction. These men believed in the power of God to save them from the blazing furnace, yet they still declared that “even if He doesn’t”, they will not bow down to the idol.

Recently, I have been thinking so much about how I want to have this same “even if He doesn’t” posture always. May I have the faith to believe that nothing is too hard for my God, and that He is capable of all things. However, may I be able to settle within myself that “even if He doesn’t” do all the things I want Him to do, I will never turn my back on Him. I do believe that arriving at this point does not happen overnight. It is certainly a process but I am confident that once I continue to grow in intimacy with God, I will be able to make and stand by such a declaration – with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Maturing in God continues to change my perspective and makes me realise that even though there are many desirable gifts I can get from Him, He is the Ultimate Gift. When all is lost, I still have GOD.

This is not to say that there are never disappointments when I desire a certain outcome and I do not get it. Being human, it is normal to be discouraged sometimes. These emotions certainly come. However, it is my response that matters. I desire to be able to stand up in faith and still trust in God’s ability even when things don’t go my way. I desire to trust in His wisdom because His thoughts are not my thoughts. I will choose to believe that everything is working for my good, no matter how things look. I will choose to dwell on the fact that He is always faithful.

“Even if He doesn’t”, I will still trust Him.

Genesis 15:1- “…I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward”.