Even If

In the book of Daniel King Nebuchadnezzar builds a large image of gold and commands everyone in the kingdom to bow down before it.
But three men refused.  These three men were brought before the King who then told them to bow down to the image he built, or he would throw them into the furnace.

I love their response.

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.  But EVEN IF he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.

They had faith.  They had faith and trust in God even if they were going to be burned alive.

I wanted this response last year when Gavin died.  I wanted this response in my heart.  But it wasn't my first reaction.  I was angry and broken.  And somedays I still am.
But I feel like my family has been learning to live this response.
We keep trusting God, we keep serving Him and following Him even when His plans don't make sense.

I have been praying for God to let me have this reaction with whatever happens next in our life.
And I feel He is giving me that chance once again, stretching me and changing me.

My daughter has been praying some very bold prayers for 7 months now.  These prayers are not anything that we told her or asked her to pray for.  They are all from her heart.  And I don't know how these prayers are going to come about or if they even will.  So we tell her to pray, to ask God because He is in control.

And I haven't wanted to talk with my five year old about the times God answers our prayers in different ways.  But we have lived through this, she knows it.

So today I feel God giving me the chance to have the response of these three men.

Even if my daughter's prayers aren't answered the way her heart thinks and so desires, we will still serve God.  We will still love God.  We will still follow Him and His plans.

Even if.