"If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if he does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up (Daniel 3:17, 18)

Four words give us faith for the fires of life;"If he does not." The Faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego was rooted in God's sovereignty over all creation and His righteous care for His people in Babylonia. But if He did not choose to extricate them from the fire, they would not worship the golden image of Nebuchadnezzar. The story of what happened to Daniel's friends is a source of courage and confidence for us today.

We are never left alone in our fires. The Lord is with us when we feel the blasts of difficulty and testing. Because the "fourth man" is present in our trials we can say, He can and will help me in this situation, but even if he does not choose to intervene in the way I want, I will not give up; for I know that even though I die, I will live, and that nothing in this life can separate me from His love."

Our hope is NOT based on getting God to do what we want. It is based on the trust that regardless how events work out, He will do for us that which is best!"
Harry Gipson