Today’s featured article is written by Sarah Beth Cody.
I closed my eyes, gripped them shut and stilled my body. Surely being so quiet would make God take my prayer more seriously.
“God, you know my heart and you know this request. My hands are washed, white flag raised. I expect you to come through, and if not…”
If not, then what? What if God didn’t come through the way I wanted Him to—the way I thought He should?
And then the words, they came back to me so quickly. Like someone had crumpled them up and thrown them right at my face. They hit me square in the nose, exploding back out into a formative thought that rocked my world and pierced my heart.
“And if not, He is good.”
Oh, to have a faith so big and so strong and so sure that I would not even second-guess God’s decision to save me from death by fire. I became lost in the pages of Daniel, re-reading a story I’ve heard more times than I can count. How did I miss this before?
There they were—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—threatened to be thrown into the blazing fire for refusing to worship Kind Nebuchadnezzar. And what came next is so outside of my human nature. So against my selfish tendencies and a fear of death that would take me away from—heaven help—a world broken and tainted by pain and sex scandals and jealousy and lives of comparison that drive us absolutely mad.
But no. “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18)
Essentially: “God can save us. And if he doesn’t—even if he lets us burn to death by fire—we will still worship Him. He is still good, and He is still God.”
Even if you don’t get that job, He is good. Even if that man doesn’t love you back, He is good. If that woman leaves and never looks back, He is good.
When we are not sure that we are good, He is good. What joy, and glory divine.
