But Even If He Does Not
by Amanda Gallagher
“But even if He does not…” Daniel 3:18 (NLT)
Today, my husband and I drove 2.5 hours down the road to a lesson that the weather canceled. We trekked the journey to the airport where he was scheduled to log another hour needed towards his next flight rating. Except the clouds were too low and the sky too windy to safely train. We knew the forecast wasn’t in our favor before we left home. In fact, we’ve known for a full week that the forecast might cancel today’s flight.
But we prayed and went anyway.
I could rattle a bunch of words about why we needed today’s hour in the cockpit. I could explain all the implications of not getting to log today’s time and how it affects the next month’s worth of training and testing. Instead, I’d rather share why we went anyway.
Let’s call it a Faith Offering. We read in the Old Testament about the offerings the Lord set up with the Israelites after they left Egypt. Grain offerings, guilt and sin offerings, burnt offerings and drink offerings–all with a specific process and purpose designed to align and realign their relationship with the Lord. Nowadays, we continue to bring tithes, time, resources and service as common offerings in a body of believers, but I’d submit that there are offerings of actionable faith that, like the offerings of old, are pleasing to the Lord. In fact, Hebrews 11:6 reminds us without faith it is impossible to please Him.
Today, we drove 5 hours round trip because we prayed and believed for the weather to change. We prayed for the winds to be still and the clouds to lift. And then we drove to the airport in faith that the Lord heard our prayers and knew what we needed.
That’s what faith requires–action in the direction of belief. We put the investment of time, gas, and our potential disappointment on the altar of faith. Now this might sound foolish, but so is giving away ten percent of your income. So is sacrificing the very best of your harvest or the purest of animals. It makes no sense for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to offer their lives for their faith and walk into a flaming furnace. No offering makes sense in a world where I have to look out for number 1, and I am number 1.
I’d like to write that we pulled up to the airport and the weather miraculously changed, but it did not. Yet, this is no less still a deposit of faith–moving in the direction of belief. And while the Lord did not move the weather in the direction of our petition, I am assured that our faith in this moment is absolutely a delight to Him.
Hebrews 11, known as the Hall of Faith, reminds us of those who believed God’s big promises and yet died in faith, without receiving the promises–and the Message translation says, “God is so proud of them” (Hebrews 11:16 MSG). The Lord to be proud of me–that is what I want. More than another hour of flight time, I want the Lord to be pleased with us. It seems as though today’s offerings still keep us in alignment.