“Even If” Faith
“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10, NIV) “But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”” (Daniel 3:18, NIV)
God may not always save us from the fire, but He will be with us through the fire. Last week our campus heard the remarkable story of Kechi Okwuchi at Convocation. As shared in the Southern Accent, Kechi was one of two passengers who survived a plane crash that took the lives of 107 individuals in 2005. She tragically suffered third-degree burns on 65 percent of her body due to that accident, yet she refused to allow her pain to limit her purpose. Kechi currently advocates for several organizations including the United Nations Foundation #TOGETHERBAND project.
Do not be surprised if a trial is kindled while you are in the midst of trusting in God. In Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar tests the faith of three Hebrew young adults. The King commands Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to bow down to his golden image or pay the ultimate price and be thrown into the fire. Their response to the King was immediate. They knew God had the power to save, but they continued and said, “even if He does not.” You see, it is easy to be faithful when God answers our prayers according to our expectations, but what happens when He doesn’t? An even if faith says, “I am going to trust anyway, I am going to be faithful anyway, and I am going to believe anyway.” Even when we are facing the furnace, we can choose to have an even if faith!
As you experience your faith being tested your sorrows can also be a catalyst that turns your face from the fiery trial to the caring face of the Savior. “True virtue never appears so lovely as when it is most oppressed, and the divine excellency of real Christianity is never exhibited with such advantage as when under the greatest trials.”1] During times of great trial our desire is for God to save us from the fire, but He sometimes wants to reveal that He can also save us through the fire.
Reflect
Is there any area of your life where you feel you faith is being tested? It could be your studies, family, finances, health or relationships.
How may God be calling you to have an “even if” kind of faith in your situation?
Complete this sentence, “Even if _____________, I will still trust God!”
