#15 Trusting God: Faith in the Fire Even if Prayers Go Unanswered

My sister doesn’t go to church, but she told me recently she prays every day for God to protect her family and to help people around her going through tough times. She’s quick to say to me that, “I’m not as religious as you are, but I believe in God, and I pray every day.” While I’m not particularly fond of being seen as the religious nut in our family, I know what she means. I also know her experience is true for many people, whether they go to church or not.

They have a belief in an all-powerful and all-loving God and want the best for their family and friends. But what does my sister do when those prayers don’t get the results she’s hoping for? What do any of us do for that matter? Does she stop going to him in prayer or does she keep hoping that he’ll step in. I’ve had to ask this of myself many times over the years.

You see, I also turn to God often in prayer and pray for protection and blessing for my children, my family and my friends. I pray for them in general and I often pray for specific things they might be going through. I even ramp up my prayers when I hear the news of a marriage breakdown or a bad diagnosis or an accident or tragedy. But I haven’t always (perhaps it’s fair to say I haven’t often), seen answers to those prayers in the way I thought I would or in the way I hoped I would.

Personal Struggles with Faith and Prayer

While my siblings have got their own beliefs and their own view of God, I remember thinking over the years that I might not be a great advertisement to them of what it means to become a fully committed, church going, ‘religious’ type follower of Jesus. They’ve all been married to the same person throughout their lives. None of them have experienced a death in their immediate family or faced some of the storms that I’ve faced. I’m not trying to suggest that they’ve had easy lives at all, they’ve faced their own challenges and had their fair share of storms, but if there was a prize for ‘Most Likely to Face a Significant Trauma’ in our family, I’m pretty sure I’d get the vote. They’ve been very kind to me over the years, but I do wonder what they’ve thought about the Jesus I’ve committed my life to.

Lessons from Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

It made me think of three characters in the Bible who were the ‘fully committed, church going, religious ones’ in their story. They faced some incredible challenges and decided to keep trusting their God even if their experiences were anything but an advertisement to the benefits of following Him. They were trying to live faithful lives and honour God when suddenly they found themselves facing the most extraordinary situation.

They lived in a land that was ruled by a very powerful king who had a bit of an ego.

He got sucked in by some of his beer buddies who had a beef with our three characters. They talked him into making a poorly thought-out decree that everyone needed to bow down and worship a statue that had been made in his image. For Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego this was not something they could do because of their faith in God who forbid idol worship like this. This was exactly what their enemies wanted so when they refused to bow down, this was reported to the king who could not go back on his decree. So they faced a choice. Either they turn their backs on God and bow down and worship the image of the king, or be sentenced to death.

I love what happened next and how they responded to this unbelievably difficult situation. It says in the Bible that they replied, “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 NIV)

The key here for me is when they say something to the effect that the God they serve is more than capable of stepping in and rescuing them from the fire, but even if he doesn’t, they weren’t going to go back on their commitment and obedience to him.

Wow!! Now that’s trust.

Trusting God Even When the Outcome is Uncertain

As they faced this decision, they had no idea what the outcome would be if they refused to obey the king. They had no idea if their God would step in or not. They chose to stay true to their commitments and put their trust in a God, who could fix everything but who, for some reason, may not.

I want to live like this no matter what comes my way. I want to work out who I think God is now before the fire comes and not just when I can feel the heat of the flames. I want to stay true to him knowing that, ‘My God is able to heal this person, restore this broken relationship, protect my children from harm ... etc' but I want to also be able to say that, ‘.. even if he doesn’t, I will not turn away from him.’

Now, if you’re familiar with this story you’ll know that God did step into this situation and do the miraculous. That was great for them, but it can be a bit confusing for us if, he doesn't choose to turn up in this way in our situations. Knowing that he can step in, but doesn't always, is something I don’t understand but have had to accept. It’s how I’ve come to understand faith.

Imagine what all of those people watching on in the crowd that day would have thought as events unfolded in front of them. They would no doubt have been incredibly impressed with the God of these Hebrew slaves as he revealed himself in power BUT I wonder what would have happened if for some unknown reason God had chosen not to step in and allowed these men of faith to die in the flames. We’ll never really know but let’s consider that for a moment.

Let's imagine that God had not stepped in, that he chose that day to be the ‘even if he doesn’t’ sort of God. Maybe the crowd would have thought these three friends were foolish and that their God was powerless at best, or uncaring and cruel at worst. I’m going to imagine that even if things had gone the other way that the crowd may have been really inspired by the faith of these men who trusted in a God who can do the miraculous but doesn’t always.

Living Out Faith in the Face of Doubt

That’s what so many of us face in this world. People looking on wondering if our all-powerful God will step in. People who don’t even go to church or follow Jesus in the way we might, probably see us proclaim our faith in God and wonder whether this faith will survive a storm. Will we choose to turn away or keep trusting EVEN if he doesn’t step in like we think he should or know he could.  

We need to be careful not to present God as the all-powerful magician who responds to the special incantations that we’ve learnt to say to get him to act. When we do that, we undermine the sovereignty of God and the witness we can have to a faith that survives the flames one way or the other. I would have loved to experience more of the, ‘I know my God can..’ stuff and less of the, ‘But even if he doesn’t ..’ stuff but this is where faith comes in. We don’t know why he doesn’t always rescue us from the flames, so I want to encourage all of us to keep turning to him whether or not he answers our heartfelt prayers and fixes the problems that we or those we love face.

This isn’t an easy way to live because it can be confusing. But rather than tell God what he must do, or tell the world around us what he will do, let’s be faithful to God regardless of what he does do.

Encouragement for Maintaining Faith

May you know the power of God to rescue you and all those you love from the fire that is right at your door. BUT may you also know a strength and courage and faith deep within that, even if he doesn’t stop the flames, you’ll turn to him and that all those around you will see a faith that is not just for the good times.

Question/s to reflect on:

1. Do you feel confident your faith will survive a fire that comes your way?

2. Is there anything you can be working on right now to be able to stand against the odds and say, "Even if he doesn't (x, y or z), I will not turn from him."?

From Reflection to Action: (These are just suggestions – maybe choose 1 or 2 to try)

1. Build your faith and some habits in your life before the flames come: Develop a strong relationship with God through prayer, reading the Bible, journalling and becoming part of a faith community so that when difficult times arise, your faith will be a source of strength and comfort regardless of the outcome.

2. Embrace the power of "even if He doesn't": Accept that God may not always answer prayers in the way we expect or hope. Trusting God means having faith that He is with us, even when we don't understand the outcome.

3. Let your faith be a witness to others: Your commitment to trust in God, especially during challenging times, can inspire and encourage others in their own faith journey. Be open about your experiences and share your story with those around you.

4. Find strength in community: Surround yourself with others who can offer support, encouragement, and prayer during difficult times. Just as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood together in their faith, we too can find strength in community. (See Matthew 18:20)

5. Continue seeking God, even after the flames have gone: Persevere in prayer and trust, knowing that every experience, whether positive or negative, can draw us closer to God and deepen our understanding of His love and faithfulness.

6. Tune into Encouraging Podcasts: Build your resilience with stories from others on the Resilient Souls podcast. So many or our guests have stories of faith where God didn’t save their loved ones from the fire but somehow, their faith survived and they continue to trust him.

Bible verses about Trusting God even in the Face of the Fire:

1. Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV): "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

2. Isaiah 41:10 (NIV): "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

3. Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV): "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

4. Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV): "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."