But If Not

     "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 KJV)


     "But if not..." This may be the most powerful statement of faith in the Bible. It is easy to be strong in your faith when God delivers you from something, but to stand firm in your devotion when He doesn't says something. These three young men were confident in God and His ability to deliver them, but their faith wasn't going to hinge on whether He did deliver them or not. They said, "...he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods..." They were so confident in their faith that noting could shake them, not even a fiery furnace. That kind of faith brings a peace that can't be explained, it has to be experienced. This story took on a deeper meaning for me during a mission trip to Costa Rica.

     We had just completed a 9 day trip to Costa Rica and were on the flight home. Somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico it felt and sounded like our plane hit something. There was a loud bang and the plane shuddered like it had hit something. The plane immediately pitched up and down and then rolled to both sides. The cabin crew began scurrying around the cabin with anxious faces looking out the windows. The pilot announced that they had felt that too and they were investigating it. They asked if anyone on the right side of the plane had seen anything odd to report it to the crew. Everyone on the plane had the same thought running through their mind, "We are going to crash!" That was the first time that the possibility of really dying stared me in the face. I will tell you that is a sobering thing. I also discovered what the three men in the furnace meant. I knew that God could deliver us from this, but even if He didn't, I knew He was still God and I was good with that. That brings a peace that can't be described.

     Obviously everything worked out. We had experienced what they termed a "catastrophic failure" of one of the engines. It basically ripped itself apart. We were able to land in Ft Lauderdale and continue on to Atlanta on other flights. It was a trip I will never forget for many reason but mainly because my understanding of faith was changed. I discovered the power of real faith. I learned it is one thing to talk about faith and an entirely different thing to have to rely on it. When you come to the point where you can say, "but if not" you will discover a peace that passes all understanding.