Purpose In Our Pain

“If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18, ESV)

In my early twenties, my father died after battling cancer for three years. His death felt senseless to me—he was a pastor and a man loved by many.

But in God’s sovereignty, the years following Dad’s death brought immense spiritual growth. His death caused me to talk more to my heavenly Father in the absence of my earthly one. His death caused me to dig into the Scriptures instead of just asking Dad for the answers.

My father kept a journal during his cancer battle, and I didn’t read it until many years after he died. When I finally did, one paragraph stopped me in my tracks. Dad had been praying for healing from his disease and wrote:

“Last night when I came home from the movie, I walked our black Lab, McGwire. That was the first time I really cried hard. I was alone with God and talked to Him. I told Him that if my death would strengthen my girls’ walk with him, then I would be happy to be taken.”

By God’s grace, and without knowledge of this intimate prayer, that is what happened. His penned words were a deep and beautiful reminder that I can fully trust in my heavenly Father, even in pain, because, as Scripture tells us, he is working – always – for my good and for his glory (Rom. 8:28).

One of the greatest examples of trust in the Bible is provided through Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel chapter 3. King Nebuchadnezzar set up a statue of himself and commanded all to bow down to it. When these three men refuse, they are brought before the king who threatens to burn them alive if they do not bow down to the altar.

Echoing the posture my father modeled in his journal – a trust that God is able to heal, and a surrender if He chooses not to – these men respond in a three-fold way:

“Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us …” They state without wavering that their God, the true God is able to deliver them. In your pain, do you still believe that God is able? We can and should pray without doubt because the Bible tells us that God is able to do beyond what we could even imagine (Eph. 3:20).

And the men continue: “And he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.” If you believe God is able, then pray with expectancy that He will! These men believed God would deliver them, whether through rescue from the fire or through rescue beyond it. We don’t put our faith in faith, nor do we demand of God, but in faith, we can believe with surety that he will deliver us from the hardship we face.

And then the men conclude: “But if not … we will not serve your gods.”

But if not…

That is faith matured.

That is surrendered trust.

That is worship that does not depend on outcomes.

Child of God, if God’s answers for your suffering are different than you hoped, he is still good, and he is still God, working purposefully in ways we cannot begin to comprehend.

Reflect: Ask Yourself: Is my faith dependent on the outcome I am praying for? Can I say with confidence, “God is able” and with surrender, “But if not, I will still worship”? Today, bring your deepest pain to your Father. Pray boldly. Trust expectantly. And even in the waiting, know that God is working his perfect purpose, even in your pain.