Everyone meet, Morgan Reid! We met Morgan because she is dating Crystal and I's cousin, Michael! She is not just a random girl dating our cousin :) She and I have become really good friends and she is just the sweetest girl ever and wise beyond her years! I love her so much, and I know you guys will too. I hope you enjoy this blog post as much as I did!
- Kayla Milligan
And If Not...He Is Still Good
Every year I choose a word or phrase to focus on, cling to, and instill in my heart as I learn to apply it to my daily life. This year I chose the phrase “and if not… He is still good”. At first, this statement was just a Pinterest perfect wallpaper for my i phone, but it soon became so much more than that.
This phrase comes straight out of Daniel 3:18. For those who are unfamiliar with this passage, I will give you the back story.
⁃ Daniel 3 tells the story of 3 guys named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The king, Nebuchadnezzar, had created a golden statue & was forcing the people to bow down to it. The 3 men were respectful to their king, but refused to bow to the statue. Because of this refusal, the 3 men were going to be cast into a fiery furnace… and this is what they said: (v. 17-18)
“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew that God had the ability to save them from the furnace. They also trusted in their God so much that they were willing to praise Him for His goodness even if he chose no to save them.
In the end, God did save these men from the furnace, and even King Nebuchadnezzar praised their God. I believe that it was their faith in God that saved them and gave them this happy ending, but I also believe that even if they had died in that furnace, God would have still had the glory.
On January 4th of this year, my grandma, who had no previously existing medical conditions, was hospitalized with COVID/Pneumonia. For an entire month, HUNDREDS of people prayed for her to get better! (I’m not exaggerating!) I cried out to God daily for His divine healing.
I KNEW that God had the ability to completely heal my grandma, and I honestly believed He would since so many people had been faithful in prayer. On February 4th, exactly one month after being taken to the hospital, my grandma took her last breath here on this earth…
I was in SHOCK… and sometimes I still am. How could my happy, healthy, and lively grandma whom I unknowingly sat next to for the last time on Christmas Day be gone?
It would have been so easy for me to throw the blame on God and doubt His goodness. Even during this horrific time, people made comments in front of me and my family doubting God’s faithfulness…
As sad and heartbroken as I was, I couldn’t keep myself from coming back to THIS PHRASE over and over again.
“and if not… He is still good.”
It brought me a sense of peace to repeat these words in my mind. Truthfully, God did heal my grandma… just in His own way. I know that she is with Him in heaven, and for that, I am so thankful. God has a reason for everything that happens. Good and bad.
He may have taken her away from us… But He is still good. I may be grieving this gut-wrenching loss… but I know that He is still good.
I say all of this in hopes to encourage someone out there… Maybe you are struggling with grief of your own, or maybe you are someone who is doubting God’s goodness.
The answers to our prayers can be tough to swallow sometimes, and the circumstances we face can be difficult… but I’m here to remind you that your circumstances cannot and will not change what God has done for you.
God is good because of the things He has already done, so we can’t lose sight of that when the circumstances we are in get tough and we feel as though we are being tossed into the fiery furnace.
HE IS GOOD EVEN WHEN OUR CIRCUMSTANCES ARE NOT.
I will pray…
I will believe…
I will trust…
And no matter what… GOD IS STILL GOOD!
- Morgan Reid
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