This will be a brief but hopefully succinct post …

I was reminded by a dear friend and mentor this morning that God doesn’t often spare from difficulties. The book of Daniel cites two examples of how our God goes with us through the challenges of life.

1. In chapter 3 we read that three of Daniel’s friends were thrown into the fiery furnace. Still while they were there, a fourth person appeared in the furnace with them. Even though they had been thrown in tied up (bound), all four were walking around in the furnace unbound. When the king called them out of the furnace, their hair was not singed, their clothes were not harmed, and they had no odor of the fire or smoke on them. God was with them through a most intense fire.
   
2. He was with Daniel in the lions den (chapter 6) and sent an angel to close the mouths of lions. So Daniel spent the night with a pride of hungry lions and walked out unharmed.

From these and other examples like Christ calming the wind and the waves found in Matthew 8, we learn that God goes with us through the storms of life.

In Joshua chapter 1 the Lord told Joshua beginning in verse 5, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Our God is bigger than any climate crisis we can create, He is bigger than any of the world’s most powerful governments, and He is the Great Physician and heals all our diseases. There is NO earthly power, situation or circumstance that God cannot overcome. We need to have faith, not in our government that thinks they can solve all of our issues, but in our God who can indeed supply our every need, if we only will trust Him.

He told His chosen disciples that were with Him in the boat, “Oh you guys who have so little faith!” Can we place our faith in the One who alone has power over all of this world’s challenges? You bet! I’m asking my family to demonstrate a faith that is unshakable. Taking our eyes off of the author and finisher of our faith causes us to waver. Abraham’s faith did not waver, in fact it grew (Romans 4:19-21). Paul challenged the church at Corinth to “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Cor 16:13)

If we have faith we can be light and hope to the world around us that is bending to the fear mongering, hoarding and misinformation that is going on in our current world setting. Let’s be men of faith who are acting wisely and without fear.