Trusting God When You Don’t Understand

Daniel 3:17-18 “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Bart Sheridan’s induction into the Ohio Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame – January 2019

Dear Kids:

Things are not always as they seem. Human nature causes most of us to interpret each circumstance through the funnel of our own understanding, and we make judgments based on our limited knowledge. This is a natural tendency in a world of untrustworthy people. The only way to navigate past these biases and feel safe is to understand Who has complete control of all of life and to fully trust Him.

Keeping a Secret From Dad

For the past few months you kids and I, along with a few select friends, have harbored a special secret. We knew that at the January Ohio Auctioneers Association Conference Dad was going to receive the prestigious recognition of being inducted into the Ohio Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame.

Hidden emails and texts flew between those of us who were planning the event as we gathered information, put together a slide show of pictures, and relayed arrival information for surprise guests. All the while Dad was in the dark about this coming honor and life went on as usual . . . until the day before the event.

I had just texted Uncle Matt some information about the guests’ arrival when Dad asked to use my phone because his was low on battery. I knew I couldn’t give him my device or he might see the secret messages. So in a very unusual manner I abruptly ran out of the room and quickly deleted the texts before coming back and handing him the cleared phone.

I could tell Dad was a little taken aback by my strange exit, but thankfully he didn’t ask any questions and knew me well enough not to make any wrong assumptions. It wasn’t until the next day when he received the award that he realized why I had acted so strangely. Things were not what they may have seemed to be.

Three Young Men Trust God

Three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced a strange turn of events, when they were taken from their homes into Babylonian captivity. This strange and distressing twist of life’s circumstances likely caused them to wonder about the God to Whom they belonged. Wasn’t He stronger than the king of Babylon? If so, why would He allow these devastating events into their lives?

But things were not as they seemed. And Instead of abandoning the God of their youth, these young men chose to trust Him fully even when they didn’t understand. When King Nebuchadnezzar made a law that everyone must worship the golden image he created or else be thrown into a fiery furnace they refused to bow. Their brave words became a testimony to their great faith.

They knew to Whom they belonged and trusted Him despite all that was happening. God honored their faith and walked with them through the blazing flames.

Trusting God When You Don’t Understand

Each of us will also face times when we don’t understand what life has thrown at us. It may seem that God is acting strangely or may have even disappeared. These distressing times may even cause us to doubt His love, goodness, and power. But don’t lose heart! Things are not as they seem!

The God Who walked with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego through the flames will walk with you through your difficulties too. Don’t allow your limited understanding to shape your responses. Instead stake your life on His faithfulness and trust Him fully. He will never let you down!

Love,

Mama