And Even If: Learning to Endure the “Even Ifs” of Life
Shattered, depleted, hopeless would be a few words we might use to describe the implosion in our lives when it happens. This implosion may come from a variety of sources, but the result is the same: devastation. The solidness, hopefulness we may have known of life is gone. We are left clamoring for anything that will give us some sense of normalcy, some sense of the familiar. Yet, what appeared normal or familiar may be out of our reach. This may be where we find ourselves facing a time of “Even ifs”
The Furnace
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were stripped from their normal. One minute they are worshipping God and the next the king demands they worship his statues and his gods. They simply would not do it. They would not turn their back on God even if it meant losing their lives.
King Nebuchadnezzar heard of their defiance and demanded the three men to be brought to him. He tells them that if they do not bow down and worship the statue he has made, they will be thrown into a blazing furnace and rhetorically asks, “What god will be able to save you from my power then?” (Daniel 3: 15). The three men knowing their lives may end still did not bow down. They would rather face the furnace than deny God, even when the King demanded the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual.
Let us talk about that furnace for a second. Are you facing a furnace today? Maybe it is marriage on the rocks, a diagnosis, a toxic relationship/friendship, a job loss, and/or a mental health crisis. I know I have had my time facing the furnace. And more times than not, I was not as successful as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego at believing God was with me. Maybe you are there today. You are not alone.
We all at some point face a furnace that is not just hot, but seven times hotter than usual! We may be facing more than we feel we can bear. And in these moments, we may even believe God has left us to face this alone. It is here that learning to embrace the Even If is critical to surviving the furnace.
Even If
When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were faced with the King Nebuchadnezzar’s challenge, they did not succumb to the fear of the furnace. Instead, they replied, “Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves to you. If you throw us into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from the furnace. He will save us from your power, O king. But even if God does not save us, we want you, O king, to know this: We will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18; emphasis mine).
The “even if” moment is not an easy moment at which to arrive. We often do not want to acknowledge the “even if.” We want to believe that healing for our marriage, our diagnosis, our mental health, our __________ (you fill in the blank) will come as we envision it. And if it does not come the way we evisioned, we may feel as though God has left us in the fire. We may find ourselves disappointed, disillusioned, and hopeless.
However, when we learn to embrace the “even ifs,” we can handle the furnace with fervor. We can know He is with us. We experience the “even ifs” through releasing our control, understanding the power of the fire, and focusing on the fourth person.
Enduring the Even Ifs
1) Releasing control
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could have taken what appeared to be the easy way out. They could have simply bowed down and never faced the furnace. But they chose to release control of their lives and continue to follow God.
Just for a moment consider what would have happened had they not have released control. What all would they have missed? What and who would that have impacted? How would that have changed not just one person, but a nation? While we may not know the answers to these questions, what we can know is how Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s actions did change a king and, subsequently, a nation.
In choosing God over fleeing the furnace, they survived what seemed the impossible to survive. After seeing this, Nebuchadnezzar said,
“Praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their God has sent his angel and saved his servants from the fire! These three men trusted their God and refused to obey my command. They were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god other than their own. So I now give this command: Anyone from any nation or language who says anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be torn apart and have his house turned into a pile of stones. No other god can save his people like this” (Daniel 3:28-29).
A king, a nation was changed because of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s choice. Our lives, our homes, our jobs, our world can be changed because of our choice amid the “even ifs” also. While releasing control is not an easy feat, the results of doing so are powerful.
2) The power of fire
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were well aware of the power of the fire. In fact, the guards who tied the three up to throw them in the fire were incinerated when they opened the furnace to throw the three men in the fire. There was no guess work for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego on the power of the fire. However, their knowledge of the fire extended farther than the king or his guards could comprehend.
King Nebuchadnezzar wanted to use fire to reveal his own power. Heating the furnace seven times hotter than usual, he was ready to seal the fate of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego revealed a different power.
Although the three men honored God in denying what the king wanted, they did not escape the fire. They were bound and thrown right into it. I have no idea what they may have been thinking as that furnace was opened, but I imagine they might have thought “Here we go boys! Our “even if” is here.” Regardless, they still did not bow down to the king.
Thrown into the fire, the king is shocked. A different power is seen: three men now unbound, clothed, unharmed and protected by a fourth person. The fire no longer showed the power of the king, but THE King. King Nebuchadnezzar could no longer the deny the God of Judah!
When we cling to the power of the King no matter the fire we face, we leave room for God to do what only God can do. We leave room for Him to unbind us, to remain clothed (in his mercy, grace, hope, protection, and more), and to display the power of God.
3) Focusing on the “fourth person”
When we are facing the fire, we often only focus on the fire. It is kind of hard not to, right? We are faced with little fires everywhere that may culminate into a blazing inferno. The longer we focus on the fire, the longer we may remain discouraged, feel powerless, and even bitter. But when we shift our focus to the “fourth person” (God), we have a chance for a different experience.
King Nebuchadnezzar could not believe his eyes when he looked in the fire: a fourth person. And this was no ordinary person. The king states, “The fourth man looks like a son of the gods” (Daniel 3:25). While the king was still trying figure out the fourth man, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew who protected them in the fire. They encountered the protection of God in a mighty way that no one could deny! And because they were focused on the fourth person, they faced the fire knowing whether they survived the fire or not, they would be in the presence of God.
The “even if” comes into play here. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not deny their circumstances. Their hearts may have been pounding and tears in their eyes as they said the words “But even if God does not save us…” to the king, they still surrendered themselves. In doing so, they experienced the fourth man in the fire in a way that only God could orchestrate. And We can have the same opportunity when we are in the fire.
Final Thoughts
We cannot pretend that the furnace and “even ifs” are not scary, heartbreaking, or devastating at times. However, we can face them with resolve. For when we release control, understand the power of the fire, and focus on the fourth person (God), we can endure the furnace and “even ifs” knowing there is another in the fire fighting for us.