In 2021, my theme for our Student Ministry was “That’s Messed Up.” We spent the year learning about the deeply flawed people in the Bible and the God who redeemed their stories for His glory.
By God’s design, I was scheduled to teach from Daniel 3 that September Sunday night Jeremy went on the ventilator.
I wrestled with it. I knew I had to stick to the plan and obey the Spirit of God, but oh, how my flesh did NOT want to say what I knew I had to say!
“Even if….”
In Daniel 3, we read about three young exiles with big problems, and even bigger faith. When given a choice to bow or burn, they didn’t hesitate to answer, “Our God is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace… but even if he does not rescue us, we want you, king, to know that we will not serve your gods.“
Even if He doesn’t, we will not be shaken.
“Even if” faith isn’t just believing that God will rescue me. It’s so much more than that.
True faith is not limited to just naming and claiming all the promises and expecting to get what I ask for. That means it doesn’t become disillusioned when I don’t get my way.
Real faith focuses on Who God is, rather than what He does for me. Real faith is trusting that God is still absolutely right, even when He says “no.”
Its trust is inalterable. Its hope, unshakeable.
Even if my loved one dies. Even if healing doesn’t come. Even if He doesn’t save my marriage. Even if He doesn’t restore the relationship. Even if my desperate prayers don’t change the outcome. Even if all is stripped away.
As Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”
That was the lesson I taught my students that night, knowing I would have a live audience, watching to see if I really believe what I teach.
- My God Can
- My God Will
- But if Not
Will l still worship my God and trust His heart?
The Hebrew boys were, indeed, thrown into a furnace so hot that the men who threw them in burned to death. But God! Imagine old Nebuchadnezzar’s surprise when he peered in the window, and saw four men…walking around…in the flames. Not three. Four.
Immanuel—God with us—walks with His kids, even in the fire.
When others peer into my furnace of suffering, do they also see Jesus? I hope so! I want them to know that, although God doesn’t always keep us out of the fire, He does enter into it with us. He didn’t protect Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fire, but He did protect them in the fire. And when they came out of the furnace, not a hair on their head was singed nor a thread of their clothes, burned.
They didn’t even smell like smoke.
God sees the fiery trial you endure, dear valley-walker. His arm is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. He is there and He is working. When you come out the other side of this furnace of testing, you will not have spent one moment alone, and God will not have wasted one ounce of your pain.
I don’t yet know how He plans to redeem it, but I believe it will be remarkable, because making beauty from ashes is His specialty.
After all, what could be more remarkable than peering into our furnace of affliction and seeing the face of God?
Who knows who might find Jesus because you and I had the faith to say, “Even if…”!
