Faith Whether Things Work out or Not

There is a remarkable scene in the Old Testament book of Daniel when the great king demanded that all people bowed down to his god, but some courageous Israelites refused. They recognized that there’s can be times when trusting in God leads to suffering. They also knew that God could rescue them. What’s most striking is their willingness to take deliverance or suffering with the same degree of faith.

This is how they responded to the king:

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.” - Daniel 3:16-18

Take a moment and reflect on a situation that you really hope will work out the way you want it to. What would it look like for you to have the kind of faith that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had? Whether things go your way or not, can you face them with the equanimity of faith? And there is a corollary as well: are you willing to name directly how you wan things to work out or are you too unwilling to take the risk to really ask for what you want?