Even If

“But even if he does not rescue us,”

Daniel 3:18a

I will never forget the beautiful lesson that came when I asked God to release me from a seemingly hopeless situation. About 4 years into a “No” from God, I came across Daniel 3 in my ladies’ Bible study. In this story, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down and worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statue. Infuriated, the king threatened to throw them into the “furnace of blazing fire” (vs. 15). I love their response to him in verses 16-18:

“Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king. But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”

They knew that Old Nebbie couldn’t stand a chance against God in a power struggle. They chose to be obedient no matter the cost, even if it meant their death. Wow! That is what true commitment looks like.

Sometimes it’s not believing in the face of death, but choosing continued obedience to God, even when it feels like there is no end, and future steps seem too difficult to bear. That was what I was feeling when I walked into Bible study that night. I knew God could rescue me. I knew He could fix it. But He hadn’t yet, and He wasn’t saying yes to my pleas for release. At that point, I didn’t know if I could be the girl that whole-heartedly committed, no matter what. I was ready to give up.

We serve the same God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He still has the same power and might as He did then. I wonder how our actions, beliefs, and thoughts would change if we fully believed that and walked in the power that lives in us through the Holy Spirit.    

Johna Clemons