But Even If

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 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.”  Daniel 3:17-18 New International Version

Many people pray a lot of “ifs”.  God if you heal me, I’ll worship you. If you bless me, I’ll bless others. If you get me out of trouble, I’ll never do that again.  It takes some faith to pray that way, believing that God has the power to do those things.  But the prayer of victorious faith is not “if” but “even if”.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were confident that the God could and would protect them from dying in Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace.  But their unshakable faith was not built on whether or not God does something for them.  Even if he does not spare them from the fire, they refuse to turn their back on God and worship false gods and idols. This “even if” faith allowed them to face the fire with confidence and come out victories.

Do we settle for “if” prayers and weak faith?  Or do we boldly declare “even if” and face our trials with victorious faith?  There are several songs that express this “even if” faith. “Hallelujah Anyway” by Rend Collective and “Even If” by Mercy Me are two of them.  I would encourage you to listen to these songs.  Better yet, sing them.  Express the victorious faith of “Even if”

Mark Miller