Wisdom in Whom We Believe

Daniel 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ 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.”

This is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. Here three men facing certain death, standing before the mightiest king of the time, dare to tell him that it does not matter what he does to them the God they serve will rescue them. With full confidence they say this. Then they add but even if he doesn't we will not serve your gods or bow before the gods you have erected.

What are you facing? Is it the loss of a parent? The rebellion of a child? The distance of a spouse? Maybe it is not anything dramatic or life altering but you are just so tired of doing the same thing everyday. What do you decide? Do you say in defeat that you will bow before whatever it takes to put your life back together or do you cling to the God who,9- whether he changes your circumstances or not is worth believing in.

In 2006 my husband and I started the long process of becoming foster parents. We did this with the hope that we would be able to adopt a set of twins that we knew of in the foster system. We worked diligently on our paperwork, went to classes, had our home inspected all with the hope that we would soon be holding these dear little babies in our arms. We dreamed the dreams of expectant parents. Wondered at the ways our lives were going to change. I shopped a little (OK a lot). And everyday we felt like we were getting one step closer to becoming parents. We received word in October of 2006 that we were now certified Foster Parents. I notified my work that as soon as the twins were placed with us I would be leaving. They found my replacement and I trained her. In November I called the case worker just to see if we would have the twins placed by Christmas and I was told that they were no longer available for placement. I was devastated. I had worked so hard and done everything right how could I not be rewarded. I faced a decision. I could take the situation in my own hands and begin manipulating it to achieve my goal or I could place my trust in God. After agonizing and crying I sat down and prayed that God would protect the twins and place them with the family he had designed for them. I told him that even if he never gave me children I would believe him. Like the three Hebrew men I full expected God to rescue me. But I had to get to the point where I surrendered. I had to say that even when I don't get what I want, when I am not treated the way I expect or my world falls apart I will not bow before any god but you.

The twins were placed in an adoptive home and their adoption was finalized in 2009. But God had a different plan for my husband and me. On March 13, 2007 we received a call that our agency had a 6 week old little girl they needed to place in an adoptive home. Our daughter Abbey joined our family that day. Six months later another call came asking if we would take her 6 year old sister Lydia. On September 22, 2007 our family grew to four. We looked forward to adoption day. On May 3 I found out that after 10 years of marriage I was pregnant. We adopted Abbey and Lydia 10 days later and Sophie was born December 11, 2008. God knew but I could not have begun to imagine that in the course of 22 months I would be the mother of 3 little girls.

Whatever you are facing you have a choice. The choice is to be wise and (as hard as it is) to say I believe that you can rescue me but even if you don't I will believe. Even if my parent dies, my child makes horrible choices that will affect the lives of everyone in our family or my marriage is forever changed by distance I will believe that you have a better plan. I will believe that you love me. and I will believe that even if I do not see it in this life it is all worth believing in you. Believing is not easy but it is always best.