Even If!

Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, “Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us into the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O King. But even if He doesn’t, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference, O King. We still wouldn’t serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up. Daniel 3:16-18 The Message

Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego were brought before King Nebuchadnezzar because they refused to serve his gods or worship his golden images. They were confident that God would rescue them, but even if He did not, they would remain faithful to Him and only Him. These guys had an Even if faith.

During the panicked times of the pandemic and even to this day, we have Christians and others asking for a cure, an eradication, an answer to this disease which struck us quickly and mercilessly. I heard many people say, “I don’t understand why God doesn’t do something!” Just because we don’t get an answer right away doesn’t give us the freedom to doubt His love and faithfulness toward us. We should be saying, Even if we don’t believe God is acting as quickly as we would like, we will still believe He is acting.

Sometimes God seems to be guiding us to travel the back roads instead of taking the highway, and we can begin to feel like we’re out of gas, there are no gas stations around, and He’s forgotten us. Even if we feel that way today, God is still here. Just like a message in a bottle that we think is lost but is found, nothing is ever lost to God.

In this world there will be pain and suffering, of that we are assured, but even if He causes suffering, He will show compassion according to the abundance of His faithful love. (Lamentations 3:32) Our job is to keep the faith and never cease to ask for the things we need.

There are many times when God closes one door only to open another. As we seek the process of reinventing ourselves to accommodate the changes necessary in our lives, it would be easy to ask, “Why me? Why Now? What have I done to deserve this?” There is little peace as we deal with the change. We have to realize that God uses these closed doors to get us to turn away from where we think we should be and move instead to the place where He can best use us. We must be even if people as we move to follow His plan for our lives.

God is waiting for Christians to ask Him for what we need in this world. We live in times where Christians need not only to ask, but also we need to do some extravagant asking of God. The world needs us to ask for the impossible and the unimaginable. We know that God is capable of doing these things, but He needs to see us willing to serve Him whether He answers these “askings” in our time and on our schedule or not. Even if, He does not, we are faithful.

We need to be the people who say, Even if, others have given up on things, we will stand strong. Even if, others have never dared dream, we will dream. Even if, others think it is impossible, all things are possible with God. Even if, others think the task is too monumental, we are more than conquerors. Even if, others think prayers are seemingly inconsequential, God answers prayer. Our Even if’s are God’s opportunities.

Our motto should forever be, We will be bold, creative, compelling, and express a deep love for Christ Even if others will not.

May we be the generation who continues to praise Him, thank Him, worship Him, give Him the glory and honor, and ask Him for that for which we yearn, hope, dream and need. copied