Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Lesson of the Day-A “But If Not” faith

Many of us claim that we have faith.  It is easy to have faith when all things in our lives seem to be going well.  When the bills are all paid, when the kids are acting right, when ministry is going well, when health is not a problem, when the family is peaceful, when the job is going smoothly, and when folks seem to be getting along it is easy to have faith.  But what about those times when it seems as if all hell has broken loose in your life?  Do you still have faith?  While in the midst of your storm, when the situation and circumstances seem unfavorable and everything around you is telling you to doubt, do you still have a ”But If Not” kind of faith?

In the 3^rd chapter of Daniel, we find the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  King Nebuchadnezzar had built a huge golden image and commanded all the people to fall down and worship it whenever they heard the sound of his musical herald.  The king proclaimed that anyone who failed to bow and worship the image would be thrown into an immense, blazing furnace.  However, the three young men were determined to worship the Only True God in which they served.  When told to bow down they young men simply replied, “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.”

Under no condition were they willing to bow down and compromise their faith in God.  While the situation look unfavorable to others, when they had no means of escape from the threat, and regardless of what their human instincts may have wanted them to feel, they knew that God was “able” to deliver them.  Not only this, but their faith was so strong that they understood that if God’s will allowed for them to suffer death, the Lord was still worthy of glory, honor, praise,  and that God would still be with them!

Remember this, that the same God was brought you to it is the same God who is able to bring you through it. The same God who allowed you to get in it is the same God who is able to get you out of it.  Think back over the things that you have been through in your life and you will begin to see that regardless of how hard it was God brought you out of it to where you are today.  Even when things didn’t’ turn out the way we may have wanted them to, He still sustained and kept you through it all.  We have no reason to doubt what He is able to do!

Yes, you may be standing in need of some sort of miracle, blessing or breakthrough and God is more than able to deliver it. But if by chance it doesn’t come the way you want it, when you want it or the maybe it doesn’t happen at all, your faith should still be in God!  

Today allow your confidence and faith in the God we serve to be so rooted and grounded that you can speak with assurance “But if…” because you know He will come through! 

Dear God, today we simply pray that you would help us to keep our faith so rooted and grounded in you that we will never, ever have one doubt in our minds that you will come through; help us to keep our eyes on you when everything around us wants to cause us to look elsewhere; remind us of the battles you've already won and the victories that you have given us in times past so that our confidence will be in you; even when things don't work the way we want them to work, remind us that you are still in control and that you know what is best; we give you glory, honor and praise for what you are doing and pray this prayer according to your will, trusting and believing that it is already done; we go forth in praise and declare your glory on this day and we thank you for your grace and your mercy toward us; bless us again and keep us Father as only you can, in your name we do pray and ask it all, Amen and Amen!