Resilient Faith

The last two years have been exhausting for me. I have been diagnosed with endometriosis, had various illnesses, suffered from depression, and have been experiencing body pains. These issues have not only left me physically exhausted, but also often mentally and emotionally drained. I believe for miracles, but also am determined to follow God no matter what comes next. I am confident that I will stand with God even if more suffering comes my way. 

      My confidence isn’t in my own strength, but in God. I know that He is real, He is with me, and He loves me. I have never been alone on this journey. 

      No matter what comes our way, we can confidently maintain our faith in the Lord. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego show us this resolve in chapter 3 of the book of Daniel. These men were Jewish exiles in Babylon who were elevated by the King of Babylon to positions of leadership in the province (v. 12). King Nebuchadnezzar had set up a golden statue that he required everyone in Babylon to worship. The price for not doing so was being thrown in a blazing furnace (v. 4-6).

      Despite this decree, the three Jews refused to worship the idol, even when brought to King Nebuchadnezzar himself. Listen to their response to him when reminded of the consequence in verses 16-18 (NIV): “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 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.’”

      These men were confident that God could deliver them, but their faith in and loyalty to Him didn’t depend on their circumstances. They were ready and willing to follow God even if He did not deliver them from their situation. 

      How often are we willing to do the same? If we looked at our faith, would we see a conditional one?

      If we want to truly have a resilient faith, then we need to let go of the expectation for certain results. That doesn’t mean we don’t have faith for miracles, but it means we are willing to take whatever turn in life God sends us on. It is believing for the miracle, yet knowing in our hearts that we will stand with our Lord even if we don’t like what He has done (or not done). To have resilient faith, we need to set our faith in God rather than in what He can do. When we do so, we can fall back on the comfort and security of knowing Him when we don’t know the answer to our questions of why or what will come next.