I’ve been thinking a lot about unconditional faith. So often, if God doesn’t do what I want or things don’t go as I think they should, I get angry. But I’m not showing faith in God when I do that, am I? I’m making it conditional when it should be unconditional.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. A verse came up on my Facebook timeline recently, and when I went to look it up, it made me see a familiar story in a different light.
What story was that? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace.
If you haven’t heard that story or need a refresher, you can find it in Daniel 3. King Nebuchadnezzar built a golden statue and insisted his people worship it when they heard the music. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused. King Nebuchadnezzar, angry at their disobedience, threatened to throw them into the fiery furnace if they didn’t comply.
Their reply is what gave me pause:
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
– Daniel 3:17-18
It’s not that I didn’t know they refused. I just never contemplated the faith their response showed. They not only said they believed God would save them but that even if He chose not to, they would still refuse to bow down to false golds.
Their response stands out to me because I struggle understanding that just because God can doesn’t always mean He will. I know that God’s ways are different than mine. I know He has a plan. But when my plan and His aren’t the same, I struggle with the why.
The unconditional faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is inspiring. I hope I reach a point where I’m that trusting. Where I have enough faith to say that even if God doesn’t respond the way I want Him to, I will still serve Him. That I will still trust Him. That He will still be my God.
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