Trusting and Testing

16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and hurled him into the pit of lions.

The king said to Daniel: “Your God—the one you serve so consistently—will rescue you.”

(Daniel 6:16)

Trusting and Testing

Good Day Family,

Trusting God isn’t easy. When we have to make the deliberate choice to place our faith in God, despite the nature of our circumstances, it’s often compared to taking a leap. We lose our grounding. We don’t know how far or how high we might reach. We hope for a landing that is soft and secure, but there are no guarantees.

So, imagine how Daniel must have felt being hurled into a pit of lions. The king and the prophet found themselves in the unusual position of agreeing with one another. Normally, the prophet would be exhorting the king to change their ways. Here, the king is also ready to put Daniel’s God to the test…and trusted. Sometimes, we play life small, we avoid risks, and we reject change because we are afraid of that feeling of taking a leap. When we do that, we are refusing to trust God with our future. But, even in our failures, we can trust God to be with us, to soften our landings, and to bear us up with the load gets too heavy.

We know how Daniel’s story goes. The mouths of the lions are covered. He’s never in any danger. The king tested God, and Daniel trusted. We need to try it more and more. Let us trust God with every aspect of our lives and especially as it relates to God’s church. Remembering, first of all, that it is God’s, and not ours, church, it cannot fail.

Let us test God in the generous giving of our resources. Can we each find ways to give a little more time, talent, or treasure? Let us trust God in the growth of our ministry. Let us spread the word of our work—feeding ministries, crafting, bereavement ministry (to name a few) beyond ourselves. Invite friends and complete strangers to join us for worship in the sanctuary or through the screen.

As we transition to a new year, let us get to trusting and testing…and watch what God will do with our

collective faith.

Blessings for a new year, a new you, and a renewed church!

Be well,

Pastor Cheryl

Let us encourage one another. Let us love our neighbor. Let us be the church.