"But even if He doesn't ... "

When I was a kid I remember my mom telling us the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego .... but there was a second "version" she would use when it was time for bed. It went something like this:
"Shadrach, Meshach, and to bed you go!" I have never forgotten their names or the story.

I heard a message today on these men. Nothing new ... a story I have heard my entire life. But given life's circumstances, I see it a little differently. When faced with the option of bowing down to this idol, or die in a furnace, their response was amazing to me ...... (my paraphrasing) "the God whom we serve is able to save us, but if He doesn't .... we will still not serve you or bow down to your idol."

Its the, if He doesn't, that I have never really paid attention to or that we don't hear deeply taught about. At least I haven't.

Just because God can do something, perform a miracle, answer a prayer the way we think is right or even biblical, etc. doesn't mean He must do it. Just because He is able does not mean He is obligated.
Not every story has a happy ending, but it will have a perfect ending - when Jesus comes, when we are made new, when we are finally what God originally created us to be.

God doesn't always keep us from the fire ... but He does walk with us - it allows us to encounter Him in a way we would never have otherwise. It allows us to experience the Living God. If we bow down to our "idol" - fear - we will miss an incredible experience with Jesus.

Why did God allow these 3 men to go through, literally, a burning fire anyway, if He was always going to save them? Well, they didn't know God would. They knew He could. But they were prepared to die if He chose not to. Thousands of years later, we are still talking about them and their story. That wouldn't have happened if they didn't take on their fear (dying by fire) in order to experience Jesus. Their experience was traumatic to say the least. They had no idea what was at stake in their obedience.

We all experience the fear of the fire in our lives. We can obey Jesus and experience Him in a way we might not have and allow Him to walk with us in the fire, or we can let our fear win over. What might be at stake in my personal "fire"? I don't know. I hope this isn;t arrogant and it is said with the utmost proper perspective: I hope that years down the road people are telling the story of their aunt, their friend, their sister - about how she allowed others to see Jesus walk with her in her fire, and that He was/is glorified.

He can perform that miracle, He can do anything ..... but He doesn't have to and He isn't obligated to just because He can. But this He will do: He will walk with you/me, just as He did with these three men, through your fire.

Now its to bed I go.....