But Even If Not, He Is Still Good.
Hello Friend,
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is found in the book of Daniel. The verse that struck me so deeply was Daniel 3:18. We’ll call it the “but even if not” verse.
The context of this verse, Daniel 3:18, is that in the day of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, there were three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednedgo who were some of the most God fearing men of their time. King Nebuchadnezzar decided that he was going to make a statue of himself and made everyone bow down at the dedication of the statue. When the horn sounded, all of the people there bowed down to the gold statue except for these three men. The king was furious and asked them why they would not bow. They told him that they would not bow before anyone but the one true God, the true King. King Nebuchadnezzar was furious and demanded that the three be thrown into the blazing furnace. The three told him that they do not have to defend themselves before him because their God was powerful enough to save them from the flames. And here comes the most bold verse in this story, “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 that you have set up.”
How this verse resonated in my spirit was, but even if God doesn’t decide to save this situation, my situation, God is still good. Even if I don’t get married like I so desire to be, God is still good. You can fill in the blank with your “even if” I’s. These men are my heroes. I thought about the age old question, “why do bad things happen to good people?” especially with all the things happening in the world today. I know that no matter what happens in this life or in this world, He is still good and He is still the King.
I know I get tired of hearing that everything happens for a reason but I truly believe it does. It makes us stronger, it unites people together, and it puts aside differences for the sake of a common cause. When hard news comes my way, this verse reminds me to praise God in ALL situations. We tend to praise God when things are going good and blame him for things that aren’t but God is good all the time and He deserves to be praised. Nothing in this life comes as a surprise to Him and that alone makes me feel safer. While we are in the middle of what feels like hell or whether we just had a really bad day/week, we don’t feel like praising but continue to praise Him for the good things.
But even if I do not get healed, He is still good! But even if He doesn’t give me a financial miracle, He is still good! You can put anything you want into this phrase. Tailor it to your personal situation. But even if He doesn’t, He is still good! Be encouraged and challenged in this word. Your praise is what brings your breakthrough and your miracle.
To finish the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednedgo, they were thrown into the fire yet the were not consumed by the flames. In fact, when King Nebuchadnezzar looked into the fire, he saw a fourth man whom looked to be like the Son of God. God saved their lives because of their faith and their praise. What an awesome testimony of praise and faith. Just think about how different our situations would be if we just took the time to praise the only one who has the power to save us!
All my love,
Shelby