And even if He doesn't...

It was midnight, and I was sitting on the edge of the tub under garish light in the bathroom of our room at the Lima airport hotel. We had traveled for over 12 hours, all the while knowing that our bags were not checked through to our final destination, Cuzco.  In Dallas, American Airlines had told us that they could not check them through because of a rule we had no way of knowing; our layover was too long by 1 hour. All attempts to find a solution in Dallas and Miami had failed and every indication pointed to paying out the nose to get our bags to Cuzco.

The previous 72 hours had included waves of nausea and worse afflictions, postponing our flights (with fees incurred), and more stress than we were able to cope with. On top of that, we were travelling with an 18 month old who cannot understand nor communicate her frustration except by screaming. To say the least, our hopes were deflated. I felt like life hung in the balance, and as Michelle and Amelia tried to sleep, I prayed for God to deliver us from yet another trial from which we could not possibly deliver ourselves.

In that moment I remembered three friends from long ago. They had been deported from their homeland by an invading army and separated from their families to be "educated" to serve their new masters. They had to learn a new culture, language, and customs in an environment hostile to all that they knew. I'm sure they wondered, as I did, "Where is our God that will deliver us from this?"
When forced to worship a foreign idol or be thrown into a fiery furnace, they responded, "We serve a God who will deliver us from death, but even if He doesn't, we will not worship these false gods."

I was reminded again that I do not serve God for what He will do for me. My prayers are not tokens dropped into a cosmic vending machine. He has already given me everything I need in sending His son, Jesus. At 1:00 am the TACA desk opened, and I walked over to discover our fate, preparing to rejoice in spite of the outcome, whispering to myself, "and even if He doesn't, He is still good and is worthy of worship."

Fifteen minutes later I left with tears in my eyes. The TACA desk had reassured me that we would not have to pay any further fees, despite the rules. There was no reason for them to allow it, beyond grace. And the three friends? Well, God met them in the fire and preserved them, not a hair was singed. I finally went to sleep resting in His grace and thanking Him for His gifts beyond grace.