...But if Not, He is Still Good

This is a popular "quote" that people refer to when things don't necessarily go their way but they trust God that His plan is greater and He is still good, sovereign, and will work everything out for the best.

I looked up where the quote came from and it comes from the book of Daniel, chapter three. Daniel and his friends are refusing to worship the king, and the king tells them he is going to throw them in the furnace to burn. The men say that God can save them - He definitely has the ability to. 

BUT if for some reason He chooses not to, they will still worship Him because He is still good, and the only one worthy of their worship.

Obviously, they want the Lord to save them, but even if things do not go their way, they will still praise Him in Heaven, for His plan is greater.

This reminded me of so many things that have happened in my life where I've had to REALLY work hard at trusting God and seeing that He is good and trusting that His plan is greater.

I want to be able to transfer from HPU because I'm miserable

...but if not, He is still good.

I want my dad to find a job because he's been unemployed for three years

...but if not, He is still good.

I desperately pray for God to heal my grandmother because she's my best friend

...but if He doesn't, He is still good.

I want to find a job in Boone so I can stay in this place I love

...but if not, He is still good.

If I have to move back to High Point, I want to work at Southwest

...but if not, He is still good.

I want to be married by the time I'm 25

...but if not, He is still good.

I want my uncle to be healed of his cancer because I need more time with him

...but if not, He is still good.

Sometimes there's no answer. I don't know why God chose not to heal my uncle. I'm still sad. But I had to find reasons to choose to praise God in the midst of that storm. It was either that or become resentful towards God.

Often times, you can look back and see how God orchestrated everything perfectly, although it didn't seem like it at the time. In most of the cases listed above, God's plan worked out ten times better than my original plan would have. That's when it's easy to look back and say "He's still good." 

I can sing God's praises for bringing me back to High Point after graduate school and closing doors in Boone. I can praise Him that I didn't work at Southwest my first year because I met so many precious people at my first school - I'm a better person for that experience (and for knowing Ashland Pingue, the best friend I made there, who I wouldn't have otherwise met.)

I'm really trying to say "He is still good" in every situation, whether there's an answer or not. Even when we are down to absolutely nothing, we have the Lord's goodness to sustain us, and that's absolutely all we really need in life. 

When everything was taken from Job, he still refused to deny the Lord. He still praised God, although God allowed Satan to strip him down to literally nothing. 

Today I'm asking myself, "Do I have that kind of love and faith in God? If I'm ever down to literally nothing but God's goodness and grace, will that be enough?"

Just something to think about.