Even If...

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-18

This has to be one of the most powerful stands of faith ever documented. The scene is outdoors in Babylon as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stand before the king in complete defiance. The entire kingdom was given an order to bow and worship before a nine-story gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had formed and erected in his own honor and glory. These men take a faith stand on facing immediate death by refusing this command. There was no hesitancy in their decision and they would not budge in their actions.

What great faith we should strive to imitate as we face our fiery furnaces. We must not give in to the fear and despair of our circumstances. We must lean into the mouth of the fire and be prepared to allow God to deliver us from, by or through the fire not forsaking Him based on the end results.

I have scars from where I have been burned in the past not trusting God for whom He says He is and what He says He will do. I treated my burns in the past with the temporary balm of disbelief, fear and despair which did nothing to heal my wounds. It wasn’t until I felt the same heat of the fire again that invited me to experience something different this time. This time I was armed with the divine balm of the Spirit which placed a protection around me against the fiery furnace.

We may not know when our furnace is heating up again but we do know on this earth we will always be one phone call away from the fire. “When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your God.” Isaiah 43:2b-3

The promise is simple – He will always walk with us and never leave us. He doesn’t claim He will send someone else from above to comfort us and walk with us but He alone will be with us. He will give us everything required to be delivered through our fires even if this delivery is straight into His arms. His promise is ever-binding, ever-faithful and everlasting.

O king, even if….