Daniel (Greek) 3:13-18: a reflection

13Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and fury commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. Then these men were brought before the king. 14Nebuchadnezzar answered them, “Is it on purpose, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you don’t serve my god, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? 15Now if you are ready whenever you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music to fall down and worship the image which I have made, good; but if you don’t worship, you shall be cast the same hour into the middle of a burning fiery furnace. Who is that god who will deliver you out of my hands?” 16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17If it happens, 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. 18But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”

Brought before the furious king, threatened with the fiery furnace unless they bow to his golden image, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego give one of the great answers of faith in all Scripture. Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, they say, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But then comes the crucial line: But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image. They trust God can deliver them; and they resolve to be faithful even if he does not.

Notice the shape of their faith in those two small words: but if not. They believed God was able to deliver them, and they said so boldly. But their obedience did not depend on being delivered. They would not bow whether God rescued them or not; their faithfulness was not a bargain, obey God so that he will rescue us, but a settled loyalty that held even without any promise of rescue. But if not, they said, we still will not bow.

That is the kind of faith worth having. It is easy to trust God when we are sure he will give us what we want, to obey in expectation of rescue. But real faith holds even when we do not know the outcome, even when God may not deliver us from the trial. These three would obey God whether the furnace consumed them or not, because their loyalty was to God himself, not to the deliverance they hoped for. When you face a trial and do not know whether God will deliver you, resolve, as they did: God is able to deliver me; but if not, I will still be faithful. Serve God for himself, not only for his rescue, and hold to him whatever the outcome.

Lord, facing the fiery furnace, the three said that our God whom we serve is able to deliver us; but if not, we will still not bow to the golden image. Give me that faith. It is easy to trust you when I am sure you will give me what I want, to obey in expectation of rescue. But real faith holds even when I do not know the outcome, even when you may not deliver me from the trial. Help me, like these three, to trust that you are able to deliver me, and yet to resolve that I will be faithful whether you do or not. Let my loyalty be to you yourself, not merely to the deliverance I hope for. When I face a trial and cannot see the outcome, help me say: my God is able to deliver me; but if not, I will still serve him. Let me hold to you whatever comes, faithful in the furnace, trusting you for yourself.