But If Not...

At Prestonwood, we are continuing our summer series "Life Messages". The guest speakers are asked what is the one message you would preach if you had time to only preach one more lesson. Justin and I were both inspired by the simplicity and truth of Dr. Robert Sloan's message. He posed the following question: Can we be faithful to the Lord in an environment that isn't conducive? It seems like an easy answer, but when you are in the depths of a trial, the answer might not come so quickly. These guys in the book of Daniel knew a little bit about being in hot situation...

• "Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?" Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:13-18

If you read further in this chapter, God did rescue these men from the blazing furnace, but He won't always choose to do so. Sometimes we will be in the pit of flames and not be given an easy way out. Some believe that if you ask God in the right way, He must heal us. That isn't always true and that isn't what has been promised to us. The only healing and saving that Jesus has promised is being with Him for eternity in Heaven. God has infinite wisdom that we simply don't have. We won't always know why something happens, but He does. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego understood that fact. First, they had faith in God that He could rescue them if He chose. But the actual statement that was of the most importance in this passage was the words, "But even if he does not...." These three men were going to be faithful and continue to stand strong against Nebuchadnezzar even if God chose not to rescue them from that fiery furnace.

Dr. Sloan then told the congregation about the Battle of Dunkirk. This amazing battle occurred during WWII on the beaches of Dunkirk in France. The German army had completely flanked the Allied forces on 3 sides, with the water at their backs. These soldiers were stranded, no where to run and completely out of options. One of the generals sent a telegram to the British leaders and on it were three words. "But if not..." These three words taken from the book of Daniel were the same words that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said to Nebuchadnezzar long ago. The general was making a statement that yes, they needed help, but if help doesn't come, then they will stand and fight. In what Winston Churchill called a "miracle of deliverance", Hitler for some strange, unknown reason decided not to attack for 3 days and the Allied forces were rescued by a navy of 700 merchant marine boats, fishing boats, and personal boats along some of the ships of the British Navy.

What will we do when push comes to shove? Will we serve the Lord when the circumstances are not so fair? The pressure of the world is mounting and it would be easy to just give in. Can you be counted on to stand up for the Lord no matter the cost?