Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

BY Ellen L. Taylor

Even if not, He is still good. I’ve seen that phrase all over the Internet, on Pinterest boards, college dorm room walls, and coffee mugs—used time and time again to remind us that God is still good in the midst of trials and pain and suffering.

A few weeks ago, I had a really painful situation occur with one of the people I love most, and I almost lost them. I felt completely betrayed. As a result, I lost a lot of trust in that person. And it occurred to me that I have no idea how people survive the painful situations in their lives if they do not believe in God.

I don’t believe in the prosperity gospel, the lie that tells us if we believe in God enough and work hard enough to somehow live lives worthy of His love, then He will lavish upon us riches and good fortune. But I do believe that every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17), and that God’s good plan ultimately ends in the restoration of His kingdom and eternal life spent in worship of the Creator God (Revelation 21–22).

But is God still good when everything stable, everything you thought you knew, is ripped out from under you? Or when your boyfriend breaks your heart? Is He good when your grandmother gets cancer? Is God still good when the plans you had for your life fall apart right in front of you?

Yes. He is.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were really good examples of living out that Pinterest-worthy saying: Even if not, He is still good. They trusted in God so fiercely that they agreed to be put in a fiery furnace to prove their heartfelt belief. They risked their lives for their faith by refusing to bow before anyone or anything but God. In doing so, they brought Him glory. And when pushed on the matter by the king, they simply said, “Even if [our God] does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up” (Daniel 3:18).

Their faith in God’s provision and protection was so strong that they were willing to walk into the fire, believing that He would save them. And they were confident in their decision because of their dedication to their God—even if He chose not to rescue them from the fire.

The same is true for us. No matter the circumstances that come our way, when we walk through the pain and trials of life, this truth remains: we are still His, and He is still ours (Isaiah 43:2). And He is still good.

The end result for these three men? A king convinced of the goodness of God and a whole empire of people now told to worship Him, instead of the false gods and idols of their past. All because of the faith of three men and their willingness to say, “Even if not, He is still good.”