Those three fellows should not have had to face what they did...but they did...notice how. When they refused to worship idols, the three Hebrew men of Daniel 3 would face death by furnace. At least, that was the intent. However, before they ever went in the furnace, they make a powerful statement.
Daniel 3.16-18- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.[d] 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (www.lifejournal.cc)
I like that 'But if not'. How many times do we bargain with the Lord, pray to the Lord, and trust the Lord to do what we want Him to do with struggles, hardships, and tough spots in our lives? What if His Will is not what we want? Would we serve Him anyway?
We need to pray, serve, love, and trust Him with a 'But if not' attitude. He will move mightily in us in any episode that we lay before Him. He may answer our prayers just as we want, but if not...we serve Him anyway. That is why we call Him 'Lord'. They came out of the furnace without a singe, but life does not always work that way. Yes, God has the power to do it every time, but He does not always answer like we want. What will you do then?
Trust God with all your burdens and serve Him as if He will give you everything you want, but if not...serve Him anyway.
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