The Faith of No Matter What

For many of us these past months have been full of gray skies and tenuous news. Tumultuous storms—tornadoes, fires, hurricanes, avalanches, and mudslides, just to name a few—have pummeled our landscape. The national and world news, seemingly not much better, has left many of us, like our surroundings, battered and bruised.Tossed by events both personal and global, we feel barely able to discern up from down, and seemingly right from wrong. Everything, feeling more uncertain and unstable than ever before, has left many—even the most stalwart and stoic—stunned in questioning silence. 

It has made me think about Daniel, and his friends,  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. I wonder—as they were trudging in captivity to Babylon—if they might have felt the trepidation of their world being turned upside-down. All that was familiar had been taken away. Did fear ever enter their thinking as they were forced to leave behind what they had known since birth? 

Maybe, but these godly men knew without question that the Lord held their lives in His hand. To them, what was happening was not the point. Look at their testimony when they were thrown into the fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar. They knew that no matter the outcome, they could trust God. 

Nebuchadnezzar asked, 

“’And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?’
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.’”
–Daniel 3:15b-18, nkjv

What a gift we and Nebuchadnezzar are given because of the God-filled faith those men held. We see that while they were in the furnace, God was literally with them. 

“And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, ‘Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?’ They answered and said to the king, ‘True, O king.’ ‘Look!’ he answered, ‘I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.’”
–Daniel 3:22-25, nkjv

In such shaky times as we are experiencing, we too can trust the Lord because, not only is He in charge, He is walking with us every step of the way through everything we face.

Related Post: When Life Is Strangely Out of Control

Jesus tells us:

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives.
So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
-John 14:27, tlb 

So when the heartache of life feels as if it is more than we can bear, turn to Jesus. He promises that when we do, He takes whatever is on our shoulders and placing it on Himself, gives us His peace. 

Your circumstances may not seem to change, but if you let Him, you will be aware that the Presence of the Lord God who created the universe is with you. And is in control. No matter what. 

Heavenly Father, thank You that You love us so much that You are with us. Thank You for Your peace and Presence that leads, guides, and never leaves us.

In Jesus name,
Amen