Are We There Yet? Part 3
Are We There Yet? Part 3
"...If that is the case, our God who we serve is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hands, O king. But if not, let it be known to you...we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up...". Daniel 3:16-18, NKJV
In Part 2 of this series, we discovered three reasons (as revealed in John 11) why God has us in the waiting room of life, so to speak. We also happened upon an important question: If what you are expectantly waiting on God for doesn't happen, what would you do? What next?
This is a hard question to contend with. I mean, we've been waiting for quite a while for our breakthroughs, right? We've done all the right things, said all the right things, believed and held on in faith. That breakthrough belongs to me, you think! It has been ingrained in us as Christians, and even in our culture, that if you work hard, you will receive a great reward. That was my take on the whole waiting thing for a while. I have believed, prayed, and waited expectantly, and yet...nothing. I have "delighted myself in the Lord" as Psalm 37:4 encourages us to do...and still...nothing, nada, zilch...not even a hint of a break-through (or so it seems). "I deserve that breakthrough!", my mind screams. I've been through too much not to get it. But then, the same question I posed to you was asked of me: what if I don't get what I've been believing for for so long? What do I do? Do I stop believing? Do I try to take matters into my own hands like Sarah and Abraham did while waiting for their promise, Isaac? Do I abandon my relationship with God? What do I do? What do you do?
The answer to this seemingly complex question can be found in the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. In Daniel 3, we encounter these three as they were about to be thrown in the fiery furnace for refusing to venerate the king's gold image. King Nebuchadnezzar said in effect, "If you do not bow down to my image as I've commanded, you will be thrown into this fiery furnace, and we'll see whether that God you believe in will be able to deliver you from me!" (Daniel 3:15, paraphrase mine). The three Hebrew boys responded, "O King Nebu, we will not be bowing down to you or anybody else for that matter...we serve Almighty God and He is certainly able to deliver us from this here fiery furnace. But in the event that He doesn't, we will still not bow down to you". (Daniel 3:16-18, paraphrase mine). Do you see that response? They left room for God's will to be done in their lives. They knew without a shadow of a doubt that God could deliver them, but even if God didn't come through as they expected, they were determined to continue serving the Living God..."Faith in God may not translate into victory in every circumstance. To these men the outcome was irrelevant, for what was at stake was not God's ability or their own lives, but their faith and obedience to serve Him regardless of the cost" [Nelson's NKJV study bible]. We all agree God is mighty to save and deliver...we sing it all the time, "Savior, He can move the mountains, my God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save...". Honestly, would you still be able to sing this song with the same conviction if He doesn't come through as you expect? We ought to be able to praise God simply because He can...He is able!
The question still remains: what do you do if your breakthrough doesn't seem forthcoming? Well, you keep on believing, that's what. You trust Him anyway. You praise Him anyway. You love Him anyway, but whatever happens, do NOT forfeit your relationship with God. Sometimes, God has us wait extensively for the promise so as to know what our motives are for loving and serving Him, or to confirm our faith, like He did with Abraham and Job. And then, at times, God doesn't show up...at least, not the way we expected. The heroes of faith (Hebrews 11) contended with this, "All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it...all these people received a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised..." (Hebrews 11: 13, 39-40, NLT). God had made a covenant with Abraham saying, "...also I will give you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession..." (Genesis 17:8). But these heroes of Faith (Abraham, Isaac, Sarah, and Jacob) died before taking possession of the land or seeing the other provisions of God's covenant, and yet, they endured in faith, even till the end of their lives. Will this be yours and my testimony?
God certainly has the power to change your circumstance, but He may choose not to. Unmet expectations can be disheartening...agreed. But like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we have got to develop a firm resolve to hold on to Jesus, no matter the cost. I'm not saying that you should let go of what God has promised you, or what you are believing for. What I am saying though is that we not allow that promise become an Idol. We've got to be willing to let it go if the Lord should require that of us, like Abraham did when he obeyed the Lord's instructions to sacrifice his promise, Isaac (Genesis 22). You can still keep believing for that breakthrough while making way for God's will to be done in your life. How does God want to work your situation out? God is a faithful God "and we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them" [Romans 8:28, NLT]. No matter what happens in your life, as long as you've put your complete hope and trust in the Lord, it's all good.
Keep your head up, Saint! God will work it all out...according to His good plan for your life, and in His perfect timing. Keep waiting, keep hoping, keep seeking...and keep on praising!
This is a hard question to contend with. I mean, we've been waiting for quite a while for our breakthroughs, right? We've done all the right things, said all the right things, believed and held on in faith. That breakthrough belongs to me, you think! It has been ingrained in us as Christians, and even in our culture, that if you work hard, you will receive a great reward. That was my take on the whole waiting thing for a while. I have believed, prayed, and waited expectantly, and yet...nothing. I have "delighted myself in the Lord" as Psalm 37:4 encourages us to do...and still...nothing, nada, zilch...not even a hint of a break-through (or so it seems). "I deserve that breakthrough!", my mind screams. I've been through too much not to get it. But then, the same question I posed to you was asked of me: what if I don't get what I've been believing for for so long? What do I do? Do I stop believing? Do I try to take matters into my own hands like Sarah and Abraham did while waiting for their promise, Isaac? Do I abandon my relationship with God? What do I do? What do you do?
The answer to this seemingly complex question can be found in the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. In Daniel 3, we encounter these three as they were about to be thrown in the fiery furnace for refusing to venerate the king's gold image. King Nebuchadnezzar said in effect, "If you do not bow down to my image as I've commanded, you will be thrown into this fiery furnace, and we'll see whether that God you believe in will be able to deliver you from me!" (Daniel 3:15, paraphrase mine). The three Hebrew boys responded, "O King Nebu, we will not be bowing down to you or anybody else for that matter...we serve Almighty God and He is certainly able to deliver us from this here fiery furnace. But in the event that He doesn't, we will still not bow down to you". (Daniel 3:16-18, paraphrase mine). Do you see that response? They left room for God's will to be done in their lives. They knew without a shadow of a doubt that God could deliver them, but even if God didn't come through as they expected, they were determined to continue serving the Living God..."Faith in God may not translate into victory in every circumstance. To these men the outcome was irrelevant, for what was at stake was not God's ability or their own lives, but their faith and obedience to serve Him regardless of the cost" [Nelson's NKJV study bible]. We all agree God is mighty to save and deliver...we sing it all the time, "Savior, He can move the mountains, my God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save...". Honestly, would you still be able to sing this song with the same conviction if He doesn't come through as you expect? We ought to be able to praise God simply because He can...He is able!
The question still remains: what do you do if your breakthrough doesn't seem forthcoming? Well, you keep on believing, that's what. You trust Him anyway. You praise Him anyway. You love Him anyway, but whatever happens, do NOT forfeit your relationship with God. Sometimes, God has us wait extensively for the promise so as to know what our motives are for loving and serving Him, or to confirm our faith, like He did with Abraham and Job. And then, at times, God doesn't show up...at least, not the way we expected. The heroes of faith (Hebrews 11) contended with this, "All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it...all these people received a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised..." (Hebrews 11: 13, 39-40, NLT). God had made a covenant with Abraham saying, "...also I will give you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession..." (Genesis 17:8). But these heroes of Faith (Abraham, Isaac, Sarah, and Jacob) died before taking possession of the land or seeing the other provisions of God's covenant, and yet, they endured in faith, even till the end of their lives. Will this be yours and my testimony?
God certainly has the power to change your circumstance, but He may choose not to. Unmet expectations can be disheartening...agreed. But like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we have got to develop a firm resolve to hold on to Jesus, no matter the cost. I'm not saying that you should let go of what God has promised you, or what you are believing for. What I am saying though is that we not allow that promise become an Idol. We've got to be willing to let it go if the Lord should require that of us, like Abraham did when he obeyed the Lord's instructions to sacrifice his promise, Isaac (Genesis 22). You can still keep believing for that breakthrough while making way for God's will to be done in your life. How does God want to work your situation out? God is a faithful God "and we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them" [Romans 8:28, NLT]. No matter what happens in your life, as long as you've put your complete hope and trust in the Lord, it's all good.
Keep your head up, Saint! God will work it all out...according to His good plan for your life, and in His perfect timing. Keep waiting, keep hoping, keep seeking...and keep on praising!
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