Even If God Doesn’t Do it
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are three men in the scriptures who stand out to me. They took a brave position and decided not to serve King Nebuchadnezzar’s gods or bow down to his golden statue. The stand they took is what I call the ‘even if God doesn’t do it’ position. It was not a lighthearted stand to take because the consequence was death. It was a position that required significant boldness and faith in God.
Taking the ‘even if God doesn’t do it’ position when faced with challenges in life comes from growth in your walk with God. It is not a position taken as a collective but as an individual—by choice, not coercion, with a complete understanding of the consequences.
When asked to bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image, they responded in Daniel 3:16-18, NLT.
… “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve can save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
This position proclaims that even if God doesn’t do what I need Him to do right now, I will still praise Him and worship Him. Even if the outcome of my faith in Him will result in persecution, loss of wealth, notoriety, friends, and family, I will still follow Him.
Have you ever been in an ‘even if God doesn’t do it’ position? It isn’t easy. The thought of God not answering that pressing prayer request causes your heart to tremble like a tornado. There are no options bar God’s intervention, and if God does not intervene, an inevitable painful outcome in which you will still praise God must be embraced.
We can’t escape the ‘even if God doesn’t do it circumstances’ life throws our way. But as difficult as these circumstances may be, they are valuable to us as Christians because they test the strength of our faith. It is easy to feel like you are strong in the Lord during what I call ‘the green pastures’ seasons of life, as David calls them in Psalm 23. But walking through the Valley of Death is a different story altogether. Yet, like David, we can proclaim, ‘I will fear no evil.’ This doesn’t mean bad things won’t happen in the Valley, but you don’t need to be afraid because the Shepherd is there with you.
Psalm 23:4, ESV Even though I walk through the Valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
The ‘even if God doesn’t do it’ position of Shedrach, Meschac and Abednega offended Nebuchadnezzar to the point that ‘his face became distorted with rage’ (Daniel 3:19, NLT). He was determined to throw them into the fire, making it four times hotter than usual. The king’s men proceeded to bind them up. At this stage, I’m sure the men were saying, ‘Surely, God will lose these bonds and allow us to escape before we get to the fire!’. But amid this hope, once again, they had to proclaim, ‘Even if God doesn’t do it, we will praise Him’. And God didn’t lose their bonds before they got to the fire. Then, they watched the king’s men heat the fire to four times its strength, and even the men who threw them into the fire were killed. They did not escape the fire experience.
I want to highlight this because, in many difficult situations, our ‘even if God doesn’t do it’ resolution is tested before we even face the main trial. Right on the way to the great trial you hope God will deliver you from, your faith in Him will be tried.
Now, in the fire, a fourth man, ‘like an angel,’ appears to be with them (Daniel 3:25), and the three men walk around freely. This is nothing short of a miracle. God didn’t stop the flames; He didn’t deliver them from the fire experience but prevented them from getting burned. The only thing that was burnt away were their bonds! They were walking around freely! This shows us that even amid the most challenging trial you may face, because God is with you, you are not in bondage; you are still free in Him.
Isiaihn 43:2b, ESV, when you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
When they were brought out, they didn’t even smell of smoke! What a testimony. God allowed the three men to be thrown into the fire in this situation. He allowed them to experience the testing of faith right up until they got into the fire and then delivered them amid the fire. But, mind you, these three men were determined to praise God regardless because deliverance doesn’t always look like what we want it to look like. Sometimes, in man’s eyes, it may look like a failure. Sometimes, it seems like evil won. But be encouraged; this is not the case; God is always in control. He is always the fourth man in the fire.
Have you decided that regardless of the outcome, you will praise Him? Irrespective of whether you get healed, will you serve Him? Regardless of whether He blesses you with a baby, will you do His will? Whether you get that job or not, will you honour Him? Make up your mind that you will not bow down to fear regardless of what comes your way.
The three men not bowing to the idol represent us not bowing down to fear. Succumbing to fear, in many cases, leads to sinful actions. It involves taking matters into our own hands. It may involve bribery to get what you want. It may involve manipulation. It may just involve you shutting God out in anger and succumbing to Satan’s lies that it is better not to serve Him. The goal of fear is to make you doubt God and His promises, but ultimately, it is for you to turn your back against God. Today, decide that ‘even if God doesn’t do it’, He will remain your God.
Examine yourself. Even if God doesn’t do it, will you still praise Him?
