The "Even If" Principle

This morning I had the opportunity to reflect on the story of the 3 Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, from whom we can draw the "Even If" Principle for our daily Christian living. 

The first time I learned of this principle was at dinner with my mentor. After I had poured out my heart, he asked if I had my Bible with me, and when I handed it over to him, he turned the pages to the Book of Daniel 3: 16-18 "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown in into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." I must confess that I had never even seen that little phrase tucked in there and as he spoke to me, these words then made sense; that in our Christian faith, it is not always that God will rescue us from the furnace of fire. In fact there are those who have had to pay the price for their faith by their lives. Hebrews 11:35-38 clearly points out the hardships that some of our forefathers had to undergo in their walk of faith.

Talking about the furnace of fire in this generation seems a little extreme, if not somewhat bizarre. What, with our beautiful homes and church buildings, flashy cars, excellent career prospects and growth patterns, lovely families, and outdoor Sunday activities. Honestly, who would dare say that God would allow us to be treated so harshly? A good God, a God Who is good all the time, cannot be that callous really, or can He? I know I am treading on dangerous ground here because I will be upsetting the status quo for most of us. After all, we have made it in life and this far He has been Ebenezer! 

Well, it was only when the 3 Hebrew boys were in the furnace of fire that the Sovereignty of God was made evident, with the king declaring that anyone who said anything against the 3 boys' God would be utterly destroyed (Daniel 3: 29). In a generation that emphasizes a comfortable, and most often, a lavish lifestyle, the Christian has over the years perfected the art of quickly glossing over scriptures that talk about suffering, paying the price, laying your hand on the plough and not looking back, and instead fed our minds and spirits with messages that hinge more on motivational speeches rather than the Word of Truth that does indeed set us free. When we go back to our homes from a "fiery" conference and are faced with the reality that the Christian faith is not about eating and drinking and making merry, we begin to doubt and question God, and slowly, our faith takes on a lackluster sheen. Before we know it we are like everyone else, and no one can differentiate between us, the Christians, and the world. 

What is the "Even if" Principle? We should, as Christians, get to that place where we are willing to lay our lives on the line for the sake of God. The 3 boys would have easily bowed to the gold image but they chose not to. That is the part of the story we all know and enjoy quoting. However, in re-emphasizing their faith in the God they believed in, the Sovereign God, they told the king that "even if" God would not rescue them from the fiery furnace, they would still not bow to the gold image. Now, in saying this, they were not expressing doubt; rather, they were merely reaffirming the fact that whether they lived or died, they would still have a testimony. Their words resound the scripture in 2Timothy 1:12 "That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day."

How many of us, when faced with a fiery furnace, would have the boldness to stand up and speak thus? How many of us would have said, "My faith is a private matter and so I will not challenge the king lest I be thrown into the gallows."? How many of us would have bowed in public and then in the privacy of our homes, our small Bible study groups, our family fellowships, opened up and repented, and hope that the king and the world would forget the fact that you actually bowed to the pressure? How many of us would have publicly supported the enactment of a Law that goes against the Christian faith just so that you could get appointed to a public office? How many of us would give up on a relationship, whether at personal or professional level, for the sake of our Christian faith, and bear the consequences of rejection?

The "Even if" Principle calls for us to take risks as Christians in this generation; even if it means being persecuted or sidelined because of the stand we take. It is only in taking risks that we do experience God and allow Him to glorify Himself. What if these Hebrew boys had bowed to the gold image? God would not have manifested His glory and the king would never have had the opportunity to experience this Great God. It is important for us to take cognizance of the fact that each time we are unwilling to take risks for the sake of our faith, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, we deny ourselves two things: One, an opportunity to witness the manifestation of God's Sovereignty in our circumstances, and two, an opportunity to provide testimony to the unbelieving world that the God we serve is alive and is able to do exceeding abundantly more than we ask or think according to the power that is within us. It is only by taking a risk, even putting our lives on the line, that the unbelieving world can experience the Sovereignty of God and hence surrender their lives to Him. What a shame that we are more comfortable in our cocoons! What a pity that our lives have no influence at all among the unbelieving peoples in our midst. How sad that we are unable to be the sort of witnesses that draw men to the love and power of a God Whose main interest is in the souls of men and not in the amount of wealth or the height of status. What a shame!

In thinking about the "Even if" Principle, is it possible for us to challenge ourselves and determine the following: 

Even if I lose my job because of my Christian values, I will not bow

Even if I lose my status because of choices based on my Christian beliefs, I will not bow

Even if I lose my family because of my Christian faith, I will not bow

Even if I lose my relationships because of my Christian principles, I will not bow

Even if I die in the course of standing up for my belief in God the Father and Jesus Christ, I will not bow

Even if God does not come through for me in my sickness, in my turmoil, in my distress, in my season of despair, in my anguish, in my uncertainty, in my lack, in my wilderness, I will not bow

Even if I do not get married, I will not bow

Even if I do not get children, remaining barren, I will not bow

Even if I do not pass my exams as well as I would have wanted, I will not bow

Even if I do not own property like the rest of the crowd, I will not bow

Even if my marriage breaks down and I am shunned, I will not bow

Even if my loved ones die, I will not bow

At the center of all that we do or say or think as Christians is a Most Holy God to Whom belongs the glory, honor and majesty.