Even If He Doesn’t
Read The Daily:
Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace… But even if he does not, we will not serve your gods. Daniel 3:17-18
One of the biggest takeaways from Tayden’s message was the difference between “what if” faith and “even if” faith. It’s easy to trust God when everything is moving in the direction we want. It’s much harder when doors close, plans change, or life starts looking different than we expected.
The three Hebrew men understood something that many of us are still learning. They believed God could rescue them, but their faith wasn’t dependent on the outcome. They trusted God before they knew how the story would end. That’s a level of faith that goes beyond getting answers and moves into genuine trust.
There are plenty of moments when I don’t understand what God is doing. But faith isn’t always having an explanation. Sometimes it’s simply saying, “God, I don’t understand this season, but I still trust You.” That’s the kind of faith that carries us through uncertainty.
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Prayer for the Day
God what are you showing me? What am I going to do about it?
God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?
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Read The New Testament In A Year
In the fifteenth year of the rule of Caesar Tiberius–it was while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea; Herod, ruler of Galilee; his brother Philip, ruler of Iturea and Trachonitis; Lysanias, ruler of Abilene; during the Chief-Priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas–John, Zachariah’s son, out in the desert at the time, received a message from God. He went all through the country around the Jordan River preaching a baptism of life-change leading to forgiveness of sins, as described in the words of Isaiah the prophet: Thunder in the desert! “Prepare God’s arrival! Make the road smooth and straight! Every ditch will be filled in, Every bump smoothed out, The detours straightened out, All the ruts paved over. Everyone will be there to see The parade of God’s salvation.” When crowds of people came out for baptism because it was the popular thing to do, John exploded: “Brood of snakes! What do you think you’re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to deflect God’s judgment? It’s your life that must change, not your skin. And don’t think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as ‘father.’ Being a child of Abraham is neither here nor there–children of Abraham are a dime a dozen. God can make children from stones if he wants. What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it’s deadwood, it goes on the fire.” The crowd asked him, “Then what are we supposed to do?” “If you have two coats, give one away,” he said. “Do the same with your food.” Tax men also came to be baptized and said, “Teacher, what should we do?” He told them, “No more extortion–collect only what is required by law.” Luke 3:1-13
Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it–because it does. Give yourselves to the gifts God gives you. Most of all, try to proclaim his truth. If you praise him in the private language of tongues, God understands you but no one else does, for you are sharing intimacies just between you and him. But when you proclaim his truth in everyday speech, you’re letting others in on the truth so that they can grow and be strong and experience his presence with you. The one who prays using a private “prayer language” certainly gets a lot out of it, but proclaiming God’s truth to the church in its common language brings the whole church into growth and strength. I want all of you to develop intimacies with God in prayer, but please don’t stop with that. Go on and proclaim his clear truth to others. It’s more important that everyone have access to the knowledge and love of God in language everyone understands than that you go off and cultivate God’s presence in a mysterious prayer language–unless, of course, there is someone who can interpret what you are saying for the benefit of all. Think, friends: If I come to you and all I do is pray privately to God in a way only he can understand, what are you going to get out of that? If I don’t address you plainly with some insight or truth or proclamation or teaching, what help am I to you? If musical instruments–flutes, say, or harps–aren’t played so that each note is distinct and in tune, how will anyone be able to catch the melody and enjoy the music? If the trumpet call can’t be distinguished, will anyone show up for the battle? 1 Corinthians 14:1-8