290 - Faith Even If Not#
290 - Faith Even If Not
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
In Daniel 3:8-30, 8 At that time, some Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image; 11 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up."
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image which I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, and all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?"
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the golden image which you have set up."
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore, because the king's command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king." 25 "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!" Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came from the midst of the fire. 27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king's counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed, nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.
28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king's word and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! 29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap, because there is no other god who can deliver like this." 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! A new week has begun, and we are willing to walk according to Your word. I also believe that You can accomplish all things and are the Lord who helps me in everything. I come before You to receive Your provision; Your word is my life, my strength. May the Holy Spirit renew my thoughts and ideas, so that I may gain strength. In the name of the Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen!
Today's scripture is relatively long, but it actually speaks of an important truth.
The story begins with Nebuchadnezzar's pride. At that time, Babylon was already a world power, and Nebuchadnezzar was their king. After becoming an empire, they became proud, and Nebuchadnezzar wanted his country to stand forever, so he made a golden image.
In Daniel 3:1, King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
How much is a cubit? About thirty to forty centimeters. Sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, such a large object set up in the plain of Dura, which is not on a mountain, proves that there is nothing around to block it. What was the purpose of the king making the golden image? To make everyone worship it, which actually conflicted with Daniel and their faith. When Daniel's friends wanted to hold onto their faith, they were accused and slandered, with no place to appeal.
At the beginning of the scripture we read, it mentions that some Chaldeans came forward to accuse the Jews, accusing them simply because they did not heed the king's command to worship the golden image. At that time, the king said that whoever did not bow down and worship would be thrown into the burning fiery furnace. When the Chaldeans came to accuse the Jews, what could they do? Clearly, from any angle, there was no way to overcome this king, but Daniel's three friends had to choose: should they listen to the king's words or hold onto their faith?
Those few said, "There are a few Jews who do not regard you or worship the golden image which you have set up." Brothers and sisters, in life, we will encounter such troubles when our faith comes into conflict. What should we do? The command given by Nebuchadnezzar is clearly contrary to the faith of Daniel and his three friends. What was their choice? To hold onto their faith.
Why could they make such a bold choice? Do not forget that violating the king's command would lead to being thrown into the burning furnace. The command had already been issued; what to choose? The choice of Daniel's three friends was, in fact, a choice of life and death. Today, many people talk about faith as living in a honey pot; this is true, God is indeed a gracious God, but can you believe that God is still gracious when you are in trouble and without hope? This is the key. In the last days, there will be a great war in the world, many countries will participate, and when persecution comes and threatens our lives, what should we choose?
What we need is the faith of Daniel's three friends, a faith that says, even if not, they believe that their God will surely save them. When everything is going smoothly, it is easy to trust our Lord; when opportunities arise, careers are blessed, children are healthy, and life is good, there is no need to exercise faith. But when in adversity, when prayers seem unanswered, when problems are not resolved, and when we cannot see God's hand in life, we begin to lose heart.
Many people keep wondering: why doesn’t God intervene? Many Christians fall at this time, saying, "Lord! Where are You?" They think that if the environment changes, faith will arise. When they encounter people who are good to them, when health improves, when they get promoted, they will have greater faith to rely on God.
God meets our needs, not according to our timing and ways of responding to our prayers. If we do it this way, we will stumble in life. The problem is that life always has many things we do not understand, such as things not going smoothly, things going against our wishes. If we trust God conditionally: that He hears every prayer, that when we encounter problems, He will solve them for us, we think God is quite good. This is called conditional trust in God. When God does not fulfill, we become discouraged and bitter, and we ask God, "Why don’t You respond to my prayers?" In fact, God has responded, but perhaps not in our way or timing. We cannot understand every situation, but we must believe that God's arrangements are always the best. He will allow us to receive the most blessed things at the most suitable time and place.
In Ecclesiastes chapter three, it mentions that God works in a timely manner. This timing means not according to our time, but according to His time. He believes that at that time He gives you the best, that your life can bear this blessing, and God will give it. Please remember: what God gives us now is definitely the best.
Although there are some circumstances that are temporarily unfavorable, overcoming them will still be good for us. This is called complete faith; you can believe in God in both adversity and prosperity. Even when you do not understand God's will, you still choose to believe in Him and thank Him. This is called faith even if not. Amen!
In the Bible, the Apostle Paul encountered many problems during his ministry, with enemies constantly attacking him. Sometimes the enemies would elevate him. Paul referred to this as a thorn in his flesh because the devil always wanted him to fall. He disliked it very much, feeling it was a burden. He hoped that there would be no obstacles while preaching, just like we hope for no obstacles in life after believing in Jesus. Paul also hoped that when he preached, everyone would believe; how wonderful that would be! If there were no attacks from the devil, how great would that be? But think about it, what do people hope for in life? Smooth sailing, success in everything, obedient children, good health. This is the result they hope for. When we believe in the Lord and still encounter these things, many people will say, "Lord! Where are You? Why haven’t You heard my prayers? Why don’t You remove these things?" Paul also prayed to God, asking Him to remove his thorn. Did God answer? Let’s read together.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10,
8 Concerning this thing, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul prayed to God three times to remove this thorn. Many people interpret this thorn as a disease of Paul, or that Paul had poor eyesight... If it were such a thorn, Paul would not have prayed for it. What did he hope to be removed? It was that there was a group of devil's minions behind him constantly provoking him. We always think that suffering is a kind of provocation, but Paul was not afraid of suffering. If it were just a small illness, Paul would not have prayed for God to remove this thorn; he would not have preached the gospel. When he preached to the Jews, how much persecution did he face? But what he cared about was not these things; what he cared about was precisely the praise he received from others, constantly elevating him.
In fact, Christians can endure persecution and suffering, but they are most likely to fall in the face of praise. Paul's revelation was immense; more than half of the New Testament was written by Paul. If such a person received this gift, would you be proud? If God gave you all nine gifts, and you touched a sick person and they were healed, if someone had a problem, you could solve it with a word, would you be proud? Yes, this was what Paul feared the most, feeling that his revelation was indeed too great, and that there were people praising him, calling him the servant of the Most High God, and that Paul had great power.
Today, many people fall into this honey pot and stumble. Many people have fans; a certain idol has many fans, and what do fans say to their idols? All sweet words. I am talking about people, such as singers and movie stars... Why do some of them choose to commit suicide when things do not go well? The reason is that they cannot bear that gap. When they were once very popular, countless fans praised them, waving glow sticks...
One day, when all those fans leave, they cannot bear it. Brothers and sisters, this is humanity. If God gives us too great a gift and we do not recognize ourselves, it is easy to stumble at this time.
Paul wanted to say, "Lord! I will not fall; just let these thorns, these praises, and resistances leave me, and I can dedicate myself to You." But God did not agree. Why did God not agree? Because as long as one is human, except for Jesus, everyone will stumble. So this thorn was always on Paul, as the devil's minions always wanted to attack him.
Our Lord said to Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you." What does this mean? I have given you a better way, not to ask for a life without difficulties, without obstacles, without valleys. I want to tell you that My grace is sufficient for you; no matter what environment you are in, I will lead you to overcome it. Isn’t this a better way?
For example, when the devil comes to provoke us, we can overcome it with God's words. When someone keeps praising us, we also need to overcome it with God's words. Thank and praise the Lord! This is important, My grace is sufficient for you. I hope everyone can remember this phrase; God's grace is sufficient for you. When can God's power be manifested? Because My strength is made perfect in weakness. What does this mean? Does God only show His power when we are weak? Only when we acknowledge our weakness will we rely on God. Some people, when they become too famous or too powerful, no longer rely on God but rely on themselves.
Many Christians are like this. When everything is going smoothly, they feel there is no need to pray often or read the Bible every day, and no need to go to church. This is a human problem. Once a person becomes weak, does it come? I am not saying these are added by God; I am just saying that in weakness, we are more likely to rely on God. So Paul said, "Therefore I will gladly boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." What he meant was that he could always see his weaknesses in life, and in these weaknesses, he would rely on our Lord's power because everything he did was not by his own strength but by our Lord's power. Hallelujah!
Then he said, "I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong." I also call this faith even if not. His belief in God is faith even if not. Do you understand Paul's faith? Why do many people fall into despair when they encounter a little trouble? In fact, they do not yet have faith even if not. Paul believed that whenever he was weak, he was strong. Whenever he encountered problems and relied on God, he could always see God's great power in those problems. Paul honored our Lord throughout his life, wholeheartedly. God's intention is that even if you have obstacles in your ministry, I will surely give you grace to face them. Amen!
Today I want to say that if your prayers have not progressed, do not use this as an excuse to live in frustration and worry. God has heard your prayers; He is working. Sometimes we just do not understand. We need to learn to enjoy the grace God has given you now, no matter how the environment is. Sometimes, when prayers do not happen in the way we expect, it is because the time is not right. We still need to believe that God will surely fulfill His most perfect blessings in our lives at the right time and place. Hallelujah!
God has not yet fulfilled your prayers because He is preparing the best for you to bear. Perhaps God is using these circumstances to work within us to build our character and expand our vessels so that we can bear greater blessings.
For example, if your vessel inside is just a cup, God wants to fill you, which is just a cup of blessing. But you say, "Lord! I want greater blessings, greater grace to come upon me." What does God do? God must first expand your vessel and then fill you so that you can bear this blessing. God must change your cup into a barrel so that you can bear a barrel of blessings. Otherwise, if you are still a cup, and God fills it, the rest will overflow, and you still cannot bear it.
So sometimes, God allows certain circumstances to come upon us so that we can bear His blessings. But please remember: these are all beneficial to us. Do not pray, "Lord! Why did You take away my cup? I only have this small cup, and I am not asking for much." God wants to give you more because He is preparing better for us. We do not understand that God is using these circumstances to work, expanding our boundaries so that we can hold greater blessings. Hallelujah!
We need to learn to trust God unconditionally. Even if your prayers have not been fulfilled, still believe; even if you do not like your current environment, believe that God still loves you; He is the God who does great things. Please remember: He will not waste our lives. Today He still reigns as King. Even if the world is like this, He still reigns as King; He is still in control of your life. Please believe that what God has planned for you is the most beautiful plan in your life. He will lead you along the most beneficial path. Perhaps you do not understand at this moment, but one day when you look back, you will see that there is nothing superfluous in your life, even in suffering, valleys, and your enemies; all are to build you up to receive greater blessings. Without these, we might just be flowers in a greenhouse, all dying when winter comes.
Brothers and sisters, in everything, you must believe in God! The three young men recorded in this article are just like this. Because they held onto their faith and refused to worship the golden image set up by King Nebuchadnezzar, the king became furious and wanted to throw them into the furnace. This was persecution, this was the environment, this was death. They said to the king, "We will not worship that golden image; we will hold onto our faith because our God will surely save us."
Let us look at Daniel 3:16-17,
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king;
Do you see how the faith of these three young men is? This is a declaration in the face of death. The faith of these three young men is called faith even if not. After understanding such faith, do we still see other problems in life as problems? God can save them in life and death. These three believed: even if you let us try again, we will not worship that golden image; we will still choose to hold onto our faith. Even if you throw us into that burning furnace, our God whom we serve can save us. This is their belief in God. Amen!
O king, He will also deliver us from your hand. Perhaps in the first half, we can all do this. Under grace, many people, after hearing the gospel, can also make such declarations: "Lord! I believe You will heal my illness, You will save my family, You will turn my economy around." Everyone can pray like this. But can everyone do the second half? What if God does not fulfill?
In verse 18, "But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the golden image which you have set up."
What does "but if not" mean here? Even if the fire burns us to death, we will not worship your gods or bow to your idols. This is called faith even if not. Many people think their faith is great; when God fulfills this matter, they can bear witness for others. Many people say, "Lord! I cannot believe in You anymore; Lord! I am weak." This is not faith even if not. Faith even if not means that I pray for this matter, and God fulfills it; I thank Him. If God has not fulfilled it yet, I still believe in Him and still thank Him. Because I expect that God will fulfill His most beautiful will. Hallelujah!
The meaning of these three young men is that even if God does not intervene or save me, I will still hold onto my faith. This is faith even if not. Most Christians have some misunderstanding about grace, thinking that grace means God becomes our servant, wanting Him to do whatever we want, and when one day God does not fulfill this matter, they say, "Lord! I may have believed wrongly..." In fact, regardless of the outcome, we should believe that our Lord loves you. Only in this way can we avoid losing heart and despair, believing that God will turn our situation around. Even if not, we will still thank Him because our life and living depend on Him, and we are not worried. Amen!
What is Paul's view on this? Why do I put Paul and these three young men together? Because for Paul, he believed that living in this world, every day is a beautiful testimony of Jesus Christ, and he must thank Him and preach the gospel to save souls. This is Paul's ministry. If one day Paul dies in suffering, and God does not save him, it would be wonderful for him because he would return, fully loaded. Amen! This is Paul's faith. He said, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
This is someone who can look down on life and death. As Christians, we should have understood life and death early on. Compared to this world, the kingdom of heaven is better. But do not think that you cannot live in this world and want to go to heaven. No, it should be understood like this: It is good on this earth, but it is best there. If God lets me stay on earth, I will thank Him every day; if God lets me go, I will thank Him there. It is just a change of place; what is the difference? But many people say, "Lord! I really cannot go on living; I have health problems, economic problems, family problems... Lord! Take me away." This is a very negative attitude. If this is the kind of faith, one day when you return, you will be even more saddened because God has rewards for you on this earth, and you returned early, giving up your rewards.
So after Paul understood these things, he could thank our Lord in everything. I also call this faith even if not! The meaning of Daniel's three friends is that our God will surely save us from the furnace. Many people will make such declarations, but the latter part is what they dare not declare, fearing that if they do so, what if God fulfills the latter part? If you can believe in the latter part, God will fulfill the former part. Even if God does not intervene, we will absolutely not despair or panic because these three young men believed that it was not by their own strength that they would escape these dangers, but by the God they believed in, who is faithful. Amen!
Do you believe that God is faithful? The Most High God, the Creator of the universe, has a lifelong plan for our lives, so the powers of darkness can absolutely not block God's blessings for us! God's good will will surely be fulfilled in you. Problems, diseases... these cannot hinder God's blessings for you! Even if you have encountered many resistances, it seems like you have been thrown into the fire pit like Daniel's three friends. My good news is that you are not alone in bearing this.
These three were thrown into the furnace, which was seven times hotter than usual, and even the soldiers who took them in were burned to death. But the king saw four men, as if they were the Son of God. Today, in your suffering, in your problems... you are not alone; our Lord is with you. This is what you must believe. You say, "Lord! I have prayed to You, and You have not heard; it seems You have left me."
No, even if God has not fulfilled your prayers now, God is still with you; even if you are in problems, in valleys, God is also in the valleys, accompanying you to rise up. Do not think that God has abandoned you; you are not alone in bearing this difficulty. In the great fire, God is also with you; the enemy cannot control your life. Your life and your living are in our Lord's hands.
Even in terrible situations, God will turn them into your rewards. If giants appear in your life, like the giants of Jericho, or if you encounter the Red Sea and cannot cross, or if there are pursuing enemies behind you, like Pharaoh's powerful enemies chasing you, these are all people and things you do not like. When these come upon you, what should you do? If you say, "Lord! Why don’t I want to pray during this time? Because I prayed, and You did not hear; my mood is particularly bad; You have left me." It is for this reason that we feel we need to lose heart; we have a reason. In fact, this is not faith even if not. Faith even if not is when we cannot see a way out, we still do not lose heart, firmly believing that God is still guiding your steps. You can overcome in this predicament and problems by relying on God's words. Even if there seems to be no way out, you still believe He is a faithful God.
Let me give you a simple example. When Moses led the Israelites to the edge of the Red Sea, with pursuing enemies behind and no way forward, what was the reaction of the people? Complaining, "Moses, who told you to bring us out of Egypt? Let us die here; is there no grave in Egypt?" Brothers and sisters, this is not God's intention, right? At the beginning, God told them, "I will bring you into a land flowing with milk and honey."
But now the problem is that they have reached the edge of the Red Sea, with no way forward, and the pursuing enemies are about to arrive. This is a very severe reality, and the people do not know what to do. But what is Moses doing now? He turns to God in prayer, and God gives him a method, saying, "Go through this sea." This is the faith God wanted them to experience. When encountering problems and suffering, we begin to lose heart and despair, even praying for a while, and when God does not fulfill, we become weak. In fact, at this time, we need to believe that God is faithful. Let’s see how Paul understood this matter.
2 Thessalonians 3:1-3,
1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, 2 and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.
2 Thessalonians is also a letter of hope, referring to our Lord's return to take us and change the form of our bodies. When Paul speaks these words, the believers are facing problems, and these problems are quite significant; a huge environment has come upon them. Paul begins to comfort them: "You are people of hope; even if you have not yet overcome this problem, believe that our Lord will return. When the trumpet sounds, we will all be changed and be with our Lord forever."
Reading these letters will convey such a message. He says, "Brethren, I have something to say: please pray for us." Is it necessary to pray for each other? So brothers and sisters, when encountering problems in life, in the valleys of life, the mutual help among the body is reflected. Do you understand? Otherwise, you could just listen to the sermon at home, right? Why still come to gather? The internet is so developed; if you want to hear someone's sermon, you can search for it and listen to it 24 hours a day. But why still gather? It is very simple; when encountering problems, we need mutual help from the body.
Some people say, "I listen to sermons online, and it is quite good." Yes! But if you get sick and lie in bed, can that pastor come to see you? But the brothers and sisters in a church gathering can come to help you; that is real help. When a person is weak, what they need is this kind of help, so gathering is very necessary. Paul says, "Please pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified."
When Paul says these words, he is among a group of unreasonable and wicked men, and he needs to overcome this, right? Even the faith-strong Paul needs others to comfort him and pray for him. We indeed need to have faith even if not, but do not forget that Daniel was not alone in enduring this faith; he had three friends. The three of them could pray for each other, support each other, and overcome all these sufferings by relying on God's words. Hallelujah! We have more than three people; when encountering problems, we are not alone; we all pray for him together. Hallelujah!
I know that some people are currently facing some troubles, but everyone prays for him, and he stands up, and we all move forward together. The Lord is faithful; He will establish you and guard you from the evil one. Believe that the Lord is faithful. Faithful, in the original text, means that God is the Amen, the real and true God who says and does what He says. His promises say so, and He will fulfill them. Hallelujah! This is the meaning of faithfulness. People may lie, and there may be problems that cannot be fulfilled, but God will not do this. God said He would save you to the end; He will surely save you to the end. He said He would deliver you from the evil one; He will surely deliver you from the evil one.
Some people always like to nitpick, saying, "A lot of Christians die in sickness, right? Many Christians die in plane crashes, right?" This is a fact. But what I just meant by faith even if not is that today, in this problem, God saved me; that is God leaving me to continue to bear witness for Him on earth. If God sees that the time has come for you to return, does it matter how you return?
Some say, "No! I must die like Abraham, stretching out my legs in bed." Then you say, the twelve disciples of Jesus were quite wronged, right? Except for John, the others all died untimely deaths. Did Jesus treat them badly? They had faith even if not! The power of that faith is greater. What I mean is, faith even if not means always believing that God's arrangements are the best.
I have told everyone before that if one can live to over a hundred years in this world, peacefully stretching out their legs and arranging everything, that is blessed. But the most blessed is to die untimely; what does that mean? If you understand your mission, you are a witness for Jesus, and if you suffer reproach for Jesus' sake, and suddenly die one day, God indeed did not save you, and you died quite wrongfully, God will compensate you. The millennium is God's compensation for us on earth. If you are martyred for the Lord's sake, that is even more blessed because you will receive a thousand years of compensation, making up for the losses you had on this earth.
Even if you strive to live to 120 years, that is the most, right? But the future is a thousand years; which is more blessed? So this is called faith even if not. What I mean is that as long as you are willing to believe in our Lord, you will never suffer loss. You say, "I am in this world, just to bear witness for the Lord, willing to rely on Him in everything. If God lets me live to ninety-nine, that is a good thing. In the eyes of the world, am I not a blessed person? If I die at thirty, God says, 'In the future, I will let you receive a thousand years of compensation.' Is that not more blessed? With such faith, knowing whose hands you are in is enough. Your problem has not been solved yet does not mean God does not care; it means God wants to let you bear greater blessings in a better way.
Not seeing it temporarily does not mean you will never see it. In this problem, being able to choose to trust our God unconditionally, believing that God will surely save you, even if not, you can still praise God every day, living with faith and joy. This is already the best in front of the world.
When the world encounters good things, they can be happy; when they encounter bad things, they will be sad. But you are different; even in the furnace, you can still hold onto your faith. This is where your blessing lies. The king commanded that these three young men be thrown into the furnace, and the fire reached its highest point. Even the soldiers who sent them in were burned to death. A few minutes later, the king saw four men, and that person looked like the Son of God. What happened? Through this matter, this king also changed. Looking back, what is the most unforgettable thing in life? It is that God saved you in great suffering; that is a testimony you will never forget, right? In fact, there are many things; every day, the peace and blessings God gives you, allowing you to avoid these things, is also something you should remember. But we overlook all of these. In everything, we must believe in our Lord. Hallelujah!
If it is conditional trust in God, then how would these three young men be? When God saves them from the furnace, they might have faith. If they went in and were not burned, they might complain, saying, "Lord! You are a liar; why don’t You save us? We are about to be burned to death." But these three young men are not like this; they believe, no matter the outcome, they thank God; this is faith even if not. At that time, our God did not remove this obstacle. If they complained, it would actually show their faith was not faith even if not. But these three young men believed; they prayed and believed that God's words would surely be fulfilled. If they did not have this faith at that time, they might have compromised. In our lives, there are many compromises because we do not believe that God will open a better path for us, and we start to rely on ourselves, resulting in more serious problems.
Back then, Abraham was like this. God told him, "I will give you a child; your descendants will be as many as the stars in the sky and the sand by the sea." God spoke very clearly. But they waited and waited, finding no child. One day, unable to wait any longer, his wife said, "How about this? We have a maid in Egypt; you can have a child with her, and then give that child to me. This way, we can help God a bit, lest others say we are ashamed of our faith."
How many people think like this? It does not matter; we can just change a bit, and we do not have to go into the furnace. In fact, it is because his faith was insufficient. If Abraham truly believed, "God can give me a child, no matter what my wife says, I will believe You," today the Middle East would not have so many wars.
Except for Jesus, no one can withstand such tests. These three young men are worthy of our emulation, which is faith even if not in God. You must believe that God's arrangements are always the best! If these three young men had violated God's words and worshiped that golden image, we would not see their story in the Bible, nor would we discuss them. So brothers and sisters, God desires to lead you into a land of abundance. You must believe one thing: that deliverance from desperate situations is certainly God's work. We must emulate these three young men and make declarations of faith: my Lord can surely save me from the great fire.
Even if not, I will still believe in my Lord and will still honor Him and thank Him. I want to ask the question: in the face of the furnace, will you wait for God to save you, or will you continue to believe in Him? Will you wait for God to remove every difficulty before you believe in Him and thank Him, or will you believe in Him in everything? His good will will surely be fulfilled; no one can hinder it. This is the point.
Romans 14:7-8, 7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
If you have this vision, you will not worry about problems in life because at every station, God's hand leads you. Even if you are currently in difficulty, your faith is even greater! Just like these three young men, when faced with the choice of life and death, they still chose to believe in God. Looking back, some things indeed exceeded our imagination. We made very thorough considerations, and a small problem arose. Many times, we tell God what to do, when to do it, and what we need. Many people live like this under grace, telling God, "Lord! It must be fulfilled today; I cannot wait until tomorrow. By tomorrow, the fire will have burned my butt, and there will be no one at home..."
As if God does not know. In fact, we forget who God is. He is our Lord; He knows how to achieve success. We do not need to give God various suggestions. If God accepted every one of your suggestions, that would be the greatest tragedy in your life; it would definitely fail because we are not perfect. If we tell God how to do it, it will mess things up. Our Lord loves us; it is because He knows what is not good that no matter how you ask, He just does not give it to you. This is His greatest love for you! Please remember, our God is not our servant; He is our helper.
Helper means that when you encounter problems, He will tell you not to do it this way, even if you say this is correct. If you insist on doing it this way, God says, "Okay! Whenever you need help, come find me." This is a helper!
But we think of God as a controller: "Lord! Control my life; do not let me have my own thoughts." This is wrong. God hopes you have your own thoughts but more importantly, that you consult Him in everything, treating Him as a friend to ask. In this way, your relationship with God is very close. You must believe: God is your helper; His thoughts are higher than our thoughts; His intentions are the most perfect. Amen!
Isaiah 55:8-9,
8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts."
Why does God say this? He hopes that you can believe in His arrangements in everything. Believe that His arrangements are always the best! You must believe that God's plan is always better than my plan, and God's way is always better than my thoughts because He is a perfect God. He can see all things and see all outcomes.
So do not lose heart when God does not fulfill something according to your wishes. Do not be discouraged when someone leaves your life, and you wish they would stay. God will prepare better for you! You know what He is doing now; there are some things you do not know, but one day, you will surely know that God's intentions are the best. You will be very happy that He closed a door for you, keeping some people out. You will be very grateful that He did not respond to certain prayers.
As you come to know more of the grace of Jesus Christ, you will be more willing to submit to His words because ultimately, you will understand what Jesus experienced. At the end, Jesus prayed, "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." We feel this seems like a very helpless prayer, but it is not. Jesus' prayer reflects that He knows the Father has arranged the best for Him, and it also shows that I have weaknesses, but I still believe that His arrangements are the best.
Let us look at what the final outcome of these three young men was. Daniel 3:27-30,
27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king's counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed, nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them. 28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king's word and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!
29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap, because there is no other god who can deliver like this." 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Brothers and sisters, those who do not believe in the Lord saw the greatness of our God through this matter! We say, "My Lord, You hear my prayers..." The world says, "My god does this too." But when we believe in the Lord in suffering and hold onto His words, what man cannot do, the Lord can do. As a result, this matter underwent a transformative change, and the people around you will come to know God because of this.
King Nebuchadnezzar, because of this matter, believed that the God of these three young men was so powerful. He also believed that just as you said, your God saved you from my hand. In the end, he said, "For there is no other god who can deliver like this." Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Are you particularly looking forward to that final outcome? God has exalted us; God has solved our problems. But did these three young men have faith first? So brothers and sisters, if we have faith even if not, God will continually exalt us in everything because He has already expanded our vessels to bear greater blessings. Even in suffering, God does not give suffering, but He will use these to elevate you. This is called all things working together for good. So brothers and sisters, let us thank our Lord in everything; this is not a slogan but a manifestation of life.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! Thank You for leading us to stand again before Your words. Sometimes when You do not fulfill my prayers, it does not mean You have left me or that You dislike me. Rather, You want to prepare greater blessings for me. Perhaps You want to use these circumstances to build my character and expand my boundaries, and the purpose is still for my benefit. I am willing to give thanks to You in everything, just like these three young men, with faith even if not. Some things You have not fulfilled according to my wishes do not mean You do not fulfill. I believe You love me the most. In this new week, I am willing to give thanks to You in everything. Please lead me. In the name of the Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen!