{but if not}

Are you familiar with the Bible story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? {Daniel chapter 3} These three men were Jews whose homeland was conquered, resulting in them being taken as captives to Babylon. The Lord was still looking after them, though, and placed them in service of the king, which later led to other promotions.

As so often happens, others became jealous of Rach, Shach, and Benny, causing them to seek out ways to get rid of the Jews. They convinced the king to have an image of gold set up and a decree proclaimed that “..as soon as you hear..all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold.. Whoever does not.. will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” (v.4-6NIV)

Rach, Shach, and Benny were among those who were summoned to assemble for the dedication of this new statue. When the music sounded and the crowd around them bowed, these three Jews remained on their feet, resulting in them being brought before King Nebuchadnezzar for questioning. He asked them, “Is it true.. that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up?.. But if you do not worship it, you will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” (v.14-15)

Their response is pretty inspiring - “.. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it.. But even if he does not, we want you to know.. we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (v.16-18) In King Nebby’s anger, he ordered the furnace to be fired up seven.times.hotter and the Jews to be bound and thrown in. At that point, the furnace was so hot that the men who threw Rach, Shach, and Benny into it were killed from the extreme heat.

King Nebby suddenly jumped to his feet and cried out in amazement,  “..I see four men walking around in the fire..and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” (v.25) He then called for the Jews to come out of the fire and when they walked out unharmed {their hair wasn’t singed, they had no burns upon their skin, their clothes weren’t scorched, and they didn’t even smell like smoke} he gave praise to the God of Rach, Shach, and Benny, “who had sent his angel and rescued his servants.” (v.28) 

I’ve always loved this particular Bible story. When I read about the three Jews refusing to bow to the statue and about God's subsequent display of power when He rescued them, I get goosebumps. I wonder - were their knees shaking, their palms sweating, or their hearts pounding as they stood there among the kneeling crowd...?

There are so many good things we can pull from this story, but for today my heart is captured by and focused on one small phrase found in the Jews’ response to the king:

But if not {paraphrased}

Those few words pack a mighty punch and are quite a powerful example to us. We all face dark days that present us with the choice to either bow to the pressures of this life or to stand with faith despite the hard times. When it’s our turn to choose, what might it look like if we responded like Rach, Shach, and Benny?

I know my God is able to fill my barren womb, but if He does not, I will not bow to discontentment nor kneel before despair.

I know my God is able to remove my financial strains, but even if He doesn’t, I will not serve dishonesty nor entertain the character of cheating.

I know my God is able to heal me of all sickness, but if not, I will not prostrate myself before the idol of anger nor will I fix my eyes on the figure of hopelessness or tune my ears to the voice of doubt.

We know that anything we place higher than God becomes an idol, a false god. Whether it be time, money, an emotion, etc. When it becomes our main priority, when that's where our eyes are focused and what our energy is geared towards, that's when we place it in a position that belongs solely to the Lord. So the idols we build today aren't always constructed of material things, but sometimes from the worth and the power we bestow them in our minds.

Before we're able to confidently respond like those three Jewish men when it was their time to choose, Dear Ones, perhaps we must first ask ourselves an important question:
is our love for God and our faith in Him dependent on how He answers our prayers...?

When the hard times come and the days are filled with clouds and rain, it's how we respond that denotes our choice. Do we push through the emotions and hold tight to Truth or do we bow to the negative thoughts and feelings that the enemy swarms us with? I know too often I've allowed myself to reside within the latter category.

Through those times that I've chosen unwisely, I've discovered a truly beautiful and amazing thing about God - when we find ourselves on the ground and already bowing low despite knowing we shouldn't, wanting to stand but with no strength to do so, He reaches down with tender mercy and gently pulls us back up to our feet.

Simply because He loves us.

I don’t know what your situation is, Friend. I don’t know what idols have been placed before you with demands that you bow. What I do know is this - I’m rooting for you. If you're like me, then you don’t want a wishy-washy faith that falls apart when faced with the trials this life brings. I pray that when it’s your time to choose {and if you find yourself with shaking knees, clammy hands, and a pounding heart} your feet will stay firmly planted and your mouth will confidently proclaim... 

but if not, I will.not.bow.