“But if not …”

I did the Beth Moore Daniel study a few years ago with a group of girls. I highly recommend it, if you’ve never studied Daniel before! I learned SO much!!! One part of the book that’s always stuck out to me is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men are thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to worship a gold idol that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. When threatened by the King, this was their response,

‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 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 3:16-18

“But even if he does not …”

Those words have been showing up everywhere I go lately! Signs in a store, posts on a friend’s Facebook wall … All saying ‘But if not, He is still good.’

I realize that is not an exact Scripture quote, but I think it captures something about the heart of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They loved, trusted, and served God so much, that they were truly okay whatever happened. Even getting thrown into a fiery furnace!!
Now, for those who don’t know the story, I’ll spoil the ending. They get bound and thrown into the furnace, but they DON’T DIE! God shows up. Nebuchadnezzar sees a FOURTH man walking around in the flames with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and calls them out. They don’t even SMELL like smoke. God showed up, and King Nebuchadnezzar’s heart was changed.
Here’s what God’s been showing me. Everyone’s story is different. Not everyone has a story ending like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Sometimes God says no. Sometimes He has a different plan. Sometimes He does not heal the cancer here. Sometimes He does not prevent the job loss. Sometimes He does not give us the child we so desperately wanted. Sometimes He does not … But if not, He is STILL good.
Some parts of life are hard, and ugly, and exhausting, and lonely, and we just don’t understand. But, when we can’t trace His plan, we can trust His heart. He is still good. And, He WILL work good out of our situation. That doesn’t mean that everything that happens to us IS good. Just that we serve a God who is big enough and good enough to work good out of it.