Over the past few months I have found myself facing many unsurmountable situations in my life. To some my life's struggles may be laughable compared to what they are facing; but, to me it has been nothing less then impossible. At times I have been pressed beyond my own measure and even overwhelmed. I have found myself facing very real situations that I have no earthly answer for. All of my plans have failed, my strength is gone and I have no idea how to overcome what I am facing. I have felt abandoned and have fought the urge to scream at the heavens asking where my God is. Perhaps, you are here right now as well. Perhaps, you are facing circumstances or a combination of events that are beyond you. Perhaps, you are even facing death; and maybe, you too are asking, "Where is God!" Well I have only one thing to say to you...FEAR NOTHING!
The three Hebrew children in Daniel chapter 3 were facing a situation very similar to that of what I was facing. Sure, I was not in any danger of being killed (well at least not any more then usual anyway); but, what I was facing are circumstances that are beyond my power and control. Just like them I was helpless and at the mercy of my circumstances. I was afraid that God would not come through for me this time. Now, that is where the three and I differed in our responses to what we were facing. I had allowed fear to creep into my heart where they had not. Just look at their response to the King.
"“King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Now, King Nebby had the power to kill them. He had the power to torture them and to throw them into the fiery furnace to their doom. Here they were standing before the whole kingdom facing the wrath of the most powerful person in their world. There was nothing they could do to deliver themselves. Even if they knew the most powerful Kung Fu, or had a ring of power they still could not have overcome the powers that had been arrayed against them. By all rights their world was about to end in unspeakable agony and death; and yet, they were not afraid. They even challenged the king when they blatantly informed him that they did not need to defend themselves in this manner to him. THAY WERE NOT AFRAID! How could this be? I mean surely there must have been a spark of doubt in their minds. If it had been us we most certainly would have said, "What if God does not deliver us?" Ah, there it is! The horrid what if.
You see the one thing that always erodes faith is fear. You can not have both fear and faith coexisting together. They are like anti-mater and mater destroying each other when they meet in a huge explosion. When fear is allowed in to a persons heart then it will consume any faith that resides there. The enemy knows this and it is why he always whispers the what ifs into our ears. Its when we listen to the what ifs that we begin to take our eyes off of God and put it onto what we are afraid will happen. This takes us out of the realm of faith, which says what can and will happen, into the realm of fear which is always concerned with what may happen. You see, the three Hebrew children did not say what if. Instead they said He can and he will; and when faced with fear, they countered it with the phrase, "but even if he does not." You see this is different then what if. But even if he does not, is a statement of defiant faith and not a statement of fear. If they had said what if, then the story may have turned out very different.
To the three Hebrew children there was no room for doubt or fear, and there is no room for fear in our lives either. in that moment God was not standing there with them facing the enemy; and yet, they believed anyway. He did not come down from heaven in all of his glory; nor, did he send a battalion of angels to their aid. There was no praise and worship team to set the atmosphere and trump up their emotions. There was no pastor to preach a rousing sermon to them, nor a Christian radio station to listen to. No, they stood there all alone exposed before the entire nation; and yet, they still did not fear. They had to walk it out and believe even though they did not see. They had to throw aside the what ifs and simply take a stand. They had to believe what they knew to be true was more real then the circumstances they were facing; and this, is what we must do as well. You see, the story does not end for the three Hebrew children in pain and death because God did show up. He did not, however, show up until they were actually physically thrown into the furnace. The manifest presence of God was only found in the fire. God was found in the one place that destruction was immanent. God was in the furnace with them. I would wager, that he was always in the furnace they just could not see Him until they were in there with Him.
We may be in the furnace but know that God is with us. We do not have to give into fear and the what ifs of life; because God is with us. He is always with us and will never leave us or forsake us, and there is nothing in this life or the next that is greater then He. He has brought nations to their knees, he has laid waste to entire armies, and he is the God who created the entire universe. In fact, the bible says that in Him we live and move and have our being. This means that there is no where in all of the universe that we can go where He is not. David even says that if he made his bed in hell God would still be there with Him. Brothers and sisters lets rise up and dismiss the what ifs, throw aside fear and be like the three Hebrew children. Always remember, "Fear nothing for God is with you!'
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