I was reading in my Jesus Calling this morning about waiting, trusting and hoping, and how the three are intricately connected to each other.
How they act as a strong chain, woven around the central cord of trust, connecting our hearts to God’s.
And it reminded me how hard it is to rest in Him – to wait and to trust, not to mention cling to a wild hope that a greater plan for our lives exists – when we can’t actively see Him working in our lives.
It’s always easy to trust God when things are going well, when life is breezy. But is that really trust? Or do we simply shift comfortably into cruise control?
Our trust is put to the test ONLY when the going gets tough.
It can be something drastic or intense, like a scary new diagnosis, or our marriage falling apart. Or it can be more basic, like when the “dailyness” of life lived alongside other imperfect human beings takes its toll on our weary souls.
Sometimes hope in the unseen and trust in the unknown just feels like a little too much for us to muster.
And this is when we have a choice: to walk away, to assume the fetal position and freeze…or to cling. And there’s nothing passive about this move.
One of my favorite stories in the bible is about Daniel and his three amigos, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. And you thought the names in your child’s math homework were unique.
In my home, growing up, we knew these three as, “make the bed, shake the bed, and in the bed you go”. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Get it? In this little post we’ll go Veggietales style and simply call them Rack, Shack and Benny.
While I’m not going to give away all the details of this spectacular narrative…[spoiler alert]…there are profound themes of integrity, strength and bravery in the face of turbulent times (read: imminent death).
One of my absolute favorite parts, in Daniel 3, is where these three amigos end up in a fiery furnace. I know, right…epic! And then there’s the lions and the visions…oh my! But I digress. This fiery place they find themselves in is due to their refusal to give up their hope and faith in God alone.
“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 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 …” Daniel 3:16-18
In other words…”and if not, still He is good”. Still He is God.
They trusted their God with such a radical faith – an “even still” tangible faith – that they were willing to lose their lives to prove it.
With the furnace cranked up, several times hotter than usual, the soldiers that ‘escorted’ them to the entrance were consumed by the flames. But Rack, Shack and Benny? Rather than sizzle, they stood. Suddenly a mystery fourth being shows up in the flames, no doubt bringing comfort and encouragement. We’re not told whether it’s an angel, or Jesus himself, all we know is that King Nebuchadnezzar calls them out, flabbergasted, and there isn’t a singed hair on their heads! Not even a hint of smoke on their clothes. Dude.
The King changes his decree from “get caught serving anyone but me…and die” to “if anyone has a problem with this real true God – who has just rocked my face off with this miraculous act – you’ll pay the price”. I’m paraphrasing here, of course.
>> But here’s the thing that gets me…the only thing they entered the fire with that they didn’t emerge with…were the ropes that bound them.
The fire they walked through didn’t kill them, it set them free.
Is that, just maybe, the true essence of trust and hope in the waiting? In the hard, fiery times we walk through? Could it be a simple act of bravery wrapped in an extravagant act of obedience. Walk. Cling. I will be with you and you’ll taste freedom on the other side?
Might trust and hope offer us the ability to hold fast to the knowledge that the heat of our circumstances will not destroy us, but rather refine us and strengthen us…and liberate us?
Whatever you’re walking through today, sweet friend, know you are not alone. Though the fire may feel hot as hell, the company available to you is Heavenly, and that trumps anything life can throw at us.
Know that He is good.
Know that He is for you. In spite of you.
And know that your weakness, in times of trouble, attracts His strength. Your inadequacy simply invites His sufficiency to move into action.
And your offering of trust and hope – small and fragile as it may be – in the waiting, sets the stage for what binds you to be broken.
When you cannot see His hand, you can trust His heart.
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and then would you do me a favor? Would you share this with a friend on facebook, or via email? Someone who needs to be reminded that even when they can’t see God’s hand, they can trust His heart.
…He is still good.
