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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.
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. Daniel 3:17–18
D.L. MOODY
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego spoke respectfully, but firmly. And mark, they did not absolutely say that God would deliver them from the burning, fiery furnace; but they declared that He was able to deliver them. “But if not,”—if in His inscrutable purposes He allows us to suffer—“still our resolve is the same: We will not worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” They were not afraid to pass from the presence of the king of Babylon to the presence of the King of kings.
ERWIN LUTZER
How do we keep believing when God doesn’t deliver us like we expect? Scripture reveals four facts regarding faith. First, sometimes faith changes our circumstances. Hebrews 11 lists many victories because of faith—military conquests, healings, and divine miracles. Second, sometimes faith does not change our circumstances. My wife and I have been to Rome and have stood where many believers did not receive deliverance and were thrown to the lions. Third, faith does not judge God by circumstances. We believe God loves the world, not because the world appears to be a loving place, but because His Word tells us He sent His Son to redeem us. And finally, faith always leads to ultimate victory for Christians; live or die, we are the Lord’s. Let’s not judge God’s care for us by what we see but by the promises of the world to come.
PRAYER
Father, may the gold of my faith be refined even as you walk with me through the fire.REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Amid fiery trials, how do your doubts push you closer to Christ?If we aren’t sure God is going to deliver, how does prayer change us, giving us grace?