He is always good

He Is Always Good

On July 2, 2024, we were attacked by a lone armed robber. It was one of the most traumatising events we had ever experienced.

He had wrestled with my mum before making his way to my room, where my daughter and I were asleep. As he ransacked our house and took everything he deemed valuable, we found ourselves in a helpless situation. We could not find the strength to fight against someone who was wielding a gun.

Held at gunpoint, we were threatened with death if we made any attempt to scream or escape. In that moment of confusion and anguish, many thoughts raced through my mind. I wondered, Is this how it is all going to end?

I said a prayer in my heart and expected a miracle.

What if God sends His angels to rescue us? Just as He did for Peter when he was behind bars in Acts 12, or when He used four lepers to scare away the Syrian army in the face of danger in 2 Kings 7:3–20.

Nothing is impossible for Him, right?

He is more than able!

As I pondered God's many promises, my faith grew even in the face of danger. Yet moments later, when there seemed to be no sign of rescue, my heart sank in despair.

I wondered again: Is this how our lives are going to end?

Didn't He promise that He would be with us even in the valley of the shadow of death?

Then, suddenly, a certain peace swept over my heart. Like an awakening, I remembered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and their infamous encounter with the fiery furnace.

In Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar gave an order concerning the worship of an image he had made. But three brave young men decided they would not bow down to it. Their allegiance was to the only true God they had known from birth, and to no other.

When the king heard of their defiance, he gave them another chance to change their minds. But they stood their ground and said no.

They knew God was able to rescue them. But even if He didn't, they would not cower or disobey Him.

We have probably heard this story recounted many times, but our faith is truly tested when we find ourselves in moments like these and have to trust God beyond what we can see.

In the face of danger, my faith found a resting place.

Whether God sends help or not, I will not be afraid.

He is good. Always.

I no longer felt afraid of dying if that was how my life was going to end. This intruder could take everything away, including our lives, but he could do no more. Our lives were in God's hands, and that was all that mattered.

After more than six hours of anguish, while we lay prone, he finally made his way out. He took many things with him, but our lives were spared.

We survived.

When I look back now, I realise that the survival itself was an answer to prayer. It may not have unfolded in the dramatic way I had imagined in those terrifying moments. There were no angels appearing before us, no prison doors opening, no miraculous intervention that instantly changed the situation. Yet, somehow, through those long hours of fear and uncertainty, God sustained us and brought us through.

Our miracle did not look like the miracle I had expected. But it was still a miracle.

And perhaps this is where our understanding of faith needs to go deeper.

Sometimes, we pray for God to change the situation, and He does. Sometimes, we pray for deliverance, and He takes us out of the fire. But there are also times when He meets us in the middle of the fire and gives us the grace to endure it.

And that experience left me with a deeper question: Can I still trust God when His answer does not look like the one I was praying for?

I believe the answer must be yes.

As I prepared to share this, I read about a mother's agony after cancer took her child away. She had prayed and meditated on Jesus' promise in John 14:14. She hoped for miraculous healing for her child, but her child was taken from her.

In her story, she said she was done with God and the church because of the loss she had experienced.

Her story made me pause, because if we are honest, many of us—including myself at times—can be tempted to think of God this way: that He is only God when our prayers are answered the way we expect them to be.

But I have come to trust in a God who is kind and good in all circumstances.

While many miracles were recorded in the Bible, there were many others whose endings were not what we would have envisioned.

Stephen was stoned to death (Acts 7:54–60).

Paul prayed three times for his weakness to be taken away, but God reminded him that His grace was sufficient for him (2 Corinthians 12:9).

John was beheaded for speaking the truth.

And God's own beloved Son suffered shame and death for our sake and for our salvation.

Whether there was instant deliverance or not, none of these stories ended in ashes. God was still glorified, and His greater purposes were accomplished.

Here is an encouraging thought:

When our faith is based only on what God can do and not on who He is, it becomes easy to fall under the weight of life and allow despair to rule whenever things fall apart.

Knowing God and knowing His Word truly have a profound impact on us.

Jesus reminds us in Matthew 13:1–23 of the parable of the sower and the importance of being deeply rooted. If we are not firmly rooted in Him, every opinion can sway us from the faith, and difficult moments can cause us to question His faithfulness, His love, and His sovereignty.

Life may throw every kind of test our way, but may we never forget to remain rooted in Him.

May our faith not be built solely on the miracles we hope to see, but on the God we know.

For those who know their God will stand firm.

And even when the answer looks different from what we prayed for, He remains good.

He is always good.