“and if not, He is still good”
The story in the book of Daniel of Shaddrach, Meshach, and Abednego is one that we’ve all heard a billion and one times. The three boys refuse to do what King Nebuchadnezzar asks of them and so he throws them into the fiery furnace and Jesus saves them. But, what if Jesus hadn’t saved them? What if He decided that they had been faithful servants and that their time on earth was sufficient and took them to Heaven? Would He still be the faithful God that we see rescue the boys in this story? Shaddrach, Meshach, and Abednego thought of that possibility too. They also come to the conclusion that yes, in fact He would still be a faithful God whether He saved them or not.
“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from your Majesty’s hand. But even if He does not, we want you to know, your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Daniel 3:17-18
Even if our God does not deliver us from the furnace we still hold tight to the fact that He is the only God, a good God, and we will not worship another.
That’s been something that has hit me like a ton of bricks over the last few weeks. If I had to pinpoint my main struggle as a believer, it would be having faith that God is a good god. I really struggle believing that He is good when I am in the midst of bad. What I’ve realized, is that if I just take a few steps back, adjust my perspective, and put God’s goodness on trial, He always proves Himself good. I’ve said this multiple times but I do not believe God causes bad things to happen, instead I believe that He ordains them and makes them good again. But He cannot do that without our consent. Luckily in the story of Shaddrach, Meshach, and Abednego we see God show His faithfulness immediately. Unfortunately it is not always like that. For instance, the story of Ruth. Ruth and Naomi lost their husbands and practically everything. So after awhile Naomi decides that she needs to go back to her people where she can find help as a widow and sends her two daughter-in-laws off back to their mothers. Ruth refuses. She decides to be faithful despite her circumstances and chooses to stay with Naomi.
“But Ruth replied, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”
Ruth 1:16
So Naomi gives in and lets Ruth come along. Ruth then goes to work under Boaz who is in Naomi’s family line. Boaz shows incredible favor toward Naomi and eventually the two of them are able to get married. So God once again proves His faithfulness, but it took time and it took sacrifice and obedience from Ruth. She was just a young women doing hard things because that’s what she believed she was called to do.
Like these two stories, you cannot always see what the outcome will be. Sometimes the Lord shows up immediately and sometimes it takes a process of obedient yeses to make a “Kingdom- sized difference”. When harsh things come my way I’ve realized that with just a little perspective I can begin to recognize God’s hand in the midst. Sometimes I immediately see why things have happened and where God is and other times it’s 9 months later and I still only get tiny glimpses into what He’s doing. But even if not, He is still good.
