ROOTED - Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Daniel 3:16-18

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to
answer you in this matter. 17 If this be
so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery
furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But
if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship
the golden image that you have set up.”

Reflection: But If Not

Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro

Daniel
is one of my favorite Old Testament books. In it we find one of the most
significant prophetic truths (we will discuss tomorrow), and some of the most
interesting stories in the Old Testament. Two stories from Daniel are taught in
every self-respecting kindergarten Sunday School class. Daniel in the Lion’s
Den is story number one. And story number two: the fiery furnace. These stories
are fantastic… especially with the flannel graph cut outs of our childhood.

Let’s
focus on story number two!! The men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are
god-fearing Jewish men in Babylonian exile. King Nebuchadnezzar has built a
statue of himself and has demanded his own worship… else the objectors would be
thrown into the fiery furnace. The three men, however, object! The king
politely asks them to reconsider but they refuse, saying, “throw us in, and God
will protect us… but if not….” This story is one often told on the
flannel graph of men who had great faith, and they did. “God will deliver us!”
But I don’t read it this way at all... not entirely! It seems clear that they
are not sure God will deliver them. In fact, they seem quite aware that it is a
distinct possibility that they will not be delivered. And this detail is
important as the key to the story… one that kids sitting at the foot of the
flannel graph ought to know: God may NOT deliver you out of the fiery
furnace. What these men demonstrate is not great faith but great
conviction. They had a great conviction that God was who he said he was… and
owing to that they were not going to bow. The thing that drives us forward in
our faith is not belief of deliverance but the conviction to say, “I will not
be moved!” “I believe this and am going to follow Jesus, no matter what befalls
me!” That is what is desperately lacking in many people’s faith, and that is
the seed we ought to plant in young people: a sense that a strong conviction about
the truth is what anchors us when times are tough. God will deliver me, but if
not… I still am not bowing. I will not be moved, even if I die in the process. These
men demonstrate great conviction in the face of death… and so should we.

Prayer

Heavenly
Father, help us to stand on convictions. May we live a life where our
convictions are formed so deeply that they serve as a bedrock during difficult
times.