Verify Podcast

I once had a pastor who even though she believed in the miraculous, taught me to focus on knowing God, rather than on what He could give to me. One day, she asked me a blunt and unexpected question, "Isioma, what if God never gives you what you are asking Him for? Will you still serve Him?” I often say that that day, I grew up a thousand years.

My pastor is long gone now as she died a few years later, but her question never left my heart. Many today, would view that question as evidence of a lack of faith, because it dares to consider the alternative to answered prayer. This brings to my mind, the story of the 3 Hebrew boys in Daniel 3, who when threatened with being thrown into a furnace for refusing to bow to the King’s statue, said to the King in verses 17-18, “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.”

Now my emphasis is on those 5 words, “But even if he doesn’t”. Some believe that the addition of those words in the boy’s speech, portrays a lack of faith. In fact, I once heard a preacher try to explain away Daniel 3:18. It was almost as if he was embarrassed by the statement of the Hebrews boys, and how their speech was a sign of double mindedness, and so that couldn’t have been what the boys meant. But the thing is, what the boys said was clear. They did not lack faith; what they lacked was fear! Beyond faith in answered prayers, the faith of the boys was in God Himself and God alone. They trusted that God was so on top of the situation, that even if their prayers were not answered in their way, God was still in charge!

We may not be called to a literal fiery furnace today, but when faced with life’s trials and when it seems things are working out differently from the

way we planned and prayed, may God give you and I, an unflinching faith in Himself, and the courage and boldness to keep standing for Him no matter what, in Jesus name, Amen .