But If Not....

“But if not…”

I sat cross-legged on the bamboo floor and struggled to find the words that I wanted. By far the hardest thing for me to do in a new language is tell a Bible story and bring out a meaningful lesson: there are just so many words I don’t know.

It was four in the afternoon on a Sabbath and I was visiting a branch Sabbath School down a curvy gravel road at the base of the mountains. I had already told a children’s story and a sermonette at church and had done another branch Sabbath School and 2pm before arriving here. Looking at the kids before me, I tried to summon up a few more ounces of enthusiasm. It’s not that I wasn’t enthusiastic, I was just tired!

Continuing with the story found in Daniel 3, I stumbled my way through the story of the three Hebrews frequently turning to Naptali (a friend and fellow missionary) for key words not yet in my vocabulary.  Drawing to a close, I sat back and let Naphtali tie my straggling conclusion together with a few questions. Oh to be fluent in Palawan! Someday….

While he spoke, I reflected on the story I had just told. My mom had called it to my attention a few days earlier while we were driving up to El Nito and I had been thinking about it on and off ever since.

I went back and reviewed the verses in Daniel:

“Be it known, O king, the God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand. But if not, be it known unto thee O king that we will not serve thy gods, nor worships the golden image which thou hast set up.” Daniel 3:17, 18 (emphasis mine)

He could make me fluent in Palawan in a heartbeat. But if not… yet will I serve Him.

He could take away homesickness. But if not… yet will I serve Him.

He could heal a friend’s father who is suffering with one touch of His hand. But if not…yet will I serve Him.

He could provide nurses for Kemantian so that Shama and I could move back to Emrang. But if not…yet will I serve Him.

He could make the future known to me so I would stop guessing as to my next steps after the Philippines. But if not…yet will I serve Him.

As Naphtali finished speaking and we prepared to leave, I smiled to myself at the lesson I was finally able to learn from a Bible story I’ve heard for years:

God is always near and I am well aware of that, but the test comes when we ask Him to do something and it seems as though the answer is no. My God can do anything and it is His will that every good and perfect gift be given unto me (James 1:17); but if he decides not to do it…. Let it be known that I still will not worship any other god because I know Who holds the future!