Faith

I want to have faith in God. The God we see in scripture is an awesome God. He is powerful, mighty and He takes care of His people. I was inspired today by a very familiar story in Daniel 3 about Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. For those of you who may not be familiar with the story, King Nebuchadnezzar had arrested these three men and demanded that they fall down and worship a golden idol that he had set up. Here is what they said in response.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-18

These men were men of faith. They were standing looking into the eyes of the most powerful man on the earth at the time and saying, "Our God can deliever us from both the furnace and you, so we will not bow down and serve your god." I want to believe that even if the armies of the world arrest me, the Lord is able to deliver me out of their hands. Is there anything that our God cannot do? Is there anything beyond His power? Oh to actually believe that God is a God that can DO things for me that I cannot do!

This is the trap I fall into often. I say to myself, "I know that God is powerful, and I know that He can do great things," but then I go and live my life as if God is capable of nothing, because I am trying to take care of absolutely everything by my own efforts. I try to save people with my intellect, I try to bring people to Enlgish Camp by giving them an invitation, I try to not sin by exercising my willpower, all while scarcely uttering an earnest prayer from my lips. I pray, but so often I pray because I am supposed to, and not because God is powerful to do everything. Where is my faith in the God who moves? In the God who can do everything? I want to have the faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego when I am before kings, and when I am before college students. I want it in a firey furnace, and when I am fighting my own sin. I want it when I am confronted by spiritual darkness as well as when I am speaking to Cris. Lord Jesus, give me faith in You that goes beyond what I could probably do by myself!

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