It was many years ago and we were having our summer vacation at my parents’ cottage in Haliburton. That year it rained and rained while we were on holiday. Our two boys were small and we found ourselves exhausting our resources on how to entertain them inside the cottage. My older son would sometimes go down to the dock in his bathing suit and fish off the end of the dock in the pouring rain. He did not mind the weather and was happy to be out in the pouring rain as long as he could fish. His younger brother however, preferred to stay dry inside the cottage.

One day my younger son was quietly standing on the sofa looking out at the rain. He was a very thoughtful little fellow and deep thoughts were evidently running through his mind. After an hour or so of quiet meditation he asked his mother a question. “Mommy,” he said, “did God really promise never to destroy the world again by using rain?”

It was not so much a question that he doubted God’s word. No, it was because of the incredible amount of rain he saw, that he wanted to make sure God really had made a commitment not to flood the world a second time. Somehow he was imagining that if this rain kept coming, the world would again be flooded as it was in Noah’s time. Fearing for his safety he had to have an answer to his problem.

So my son was on the horns of a dilemma. He had an idea that God had promised to preserve the earth from another flood, but he was seeing much more rain in a shorter period of time than he ever had seen before. Somehow he feared a flood might be on its way so he had to check out the promise of God.

When he was assured that God had indeed promised never to send so much rain again he was greatly relieved. He continued to endure the rain in the certain hope that God was not flooding the world once more and that we were all safe.

When we walk through fiery trials we can start to doubt that God has promised to preserve us. We may find ourselves, like my son, checking to make sure of what God has said. This is where our verse for today comes in to help us. Regardless of how hot it gets around us as we endure trials, the fire will never consume us. If we are God’s people we cannot be burned by the fire. We will conquer the problem in due time.

Now it can happen that a Christian who is in difficulties will be very certain of what God has promised and still be in doubt because of how extreme the issue is they face. Some problems can cause us to doubt the word of God. This is a different matter altogether. When this happens we are really in danger and desperate.

It is so important to believe the promise even when you do not see how it is being fulfilled in your own situation. If you think the problem will overcome you, in spite of God’s promise that it will not, you need to call out to God to give you more faith. God gives good things to those who ask Him and faith is indeed a good thing.

Once when Jesus was about to cast a demon out of a boy, the father of the boy made an interesting statement to Jesus. Because Jesus had just said that all things were possible to the ones who believed, the father said, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief.” The man had some confidence in Jesus’ abilities but needed greater faith. Hence he confessed his lack and asked for more faith.

If you do not know the promises of God you need to look into your Bible and see what God has promised to those who love Him. You cannot trust God if you do not know what He has promised.

Maybe you do know the promise for this devotional but you have some doubts that it can cover your great problem in life. Do as the father of the boy did. Come to Jesus and say to Him, “Lord I believe but help my unbelief.” Do not stop asking until you have what you desire. God is very willing to give, we need to ask.