Good morning, First name / friend.
It's Sunday, December 10.
Do you know what all testimonies have in common? They have a happy ending. God delivers, God steps in, and God answers prayers. That’s how we share testimonies. I have never been at a church where a person triumphantly declares, “I was in trouble, I prayed, and God didn’t come through! Amen.”
Why not? Because we all love happy endings. Yet life isn’t always like this. Sometimes, we pray and fast so that our family member who has cancer gets healed, but she dies. We pray that God gives us victory over that issue we’re wrestling with, but it doesn’t happen. We get thrown into a fire of trials, health issues, financial problems, and depression, and there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
During the next ten days, we will dive into five powerful stories of individuals who have experienced this very thing. A trial without the guarantee that anything would ever change. Would you still follow God, even if your life would be miserable? Would you still love Jesus even if He would not deliver you from this thing you’re struggling with?
For Daniel’s friends, the answer was an astounding “yes.” They faced the death sentence in Daniel 3:15 and were about to be thrown into a fiery furnace, an instrument used to heat bricks for the city wall. We know today that specific techniques (like using propane and oxygen) can heat a fire to nearly 5,100° F (or 2,815° C).
King Nebuchadnezzar was extremely angry, yet before throwing Daniel’s three friends into this gigantic oven, he gave them another chance to change their minds. “Is it really true that you don’t want to bow down and worship my golden statue?” And the Bible records in Daniel 3:16-18 what these young adults answered: “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. (…) Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
They did not have the divine assurance that God would deliver them. They were ready to die a painful death for Jesus, with no guarantee whatsoever that their LORD would step in.
Why did they say this, then? How can a person behave like that? What prompted them to say these words? Does God expect me to do the same? How can I have this kind of faith today?
Welcome to the “But If Not” challenge. The Bible will give you answers to all of these questions and many more. Let’s dive in.
