The ''But if not' people

"If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.  18But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”                      Daniel 3:17-18.  NKJV

These two verses are wonderful to study and pick the bones out of. These three guys - Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego showed unshakeable faith when they refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar's 90 foot golden statue. They knew the  risk they were taking but it was not going to stop them. If God didn't show up for them, they would still honour Him.

Nebuchadnezzar had thrown down the gauntlet and said, 'And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?' This was a self-centred attitude that the king was showing them. He was actually stating that no one, not even God would be able to deliver them from his hands. One would have thought that this would have caused God to retaliate and teach him a lesson. But, God didn't. He had nothing to prove. Notice in v18, they had made provision for this happening. They told the king that God would save them ,'But if not.' Whether God saved them or not, they would still not bow down to this false image.

Later, a similar thing happened to Daniel. This time, Darius had replaced Nebuchadnezzar as king and had a lot of respect for Daniel. But some people who wanted to make things bad for Daniel, tricked Darius into making a decree forbidding anyone to bow down and offer praise and prayer to any god, except the king. They then reported Daniel for breaking this decree. When Darius realised what he had done, he was mortified. He attempted to rescue Daniel but his hands were tied. He ordered that Daniel be thrown into the lion's den and spent a sleepless night fasting and praying about Daniel. When morning came, he was overwhelmed with joy that Daniel was safe and rejoiced when he heard that an angel had kept the lion's mouth closed.

Daniel had no doubt refused to stop praying to God and even though he realised the punishment for doing this was certain death in the lion's den, he had a God who will rescue me 'But if not'' I will not stop praying to my God.

This type of people - the 'But if not' people, are a unique group of people who trust God wholeheartedly and, no matter what, will refuse to stop talking, praying or praising Jesus. These are the people who get the job done for Jesus. Their fear is in not doing what God has told them to do. They are 'But if not' people and nothing will stop them.

What about you. Are you a 'But if not' person or, would you like to be? God wants this for all of us. Jesus is in heaven now and He has left the job with each one of us to complete. People need Jesus. Many don't know this fact and many just refuse to follow. 'But if not' people change things. They forge ahead and bring people into the kingdom. If you want this, why not tell Jesus about it and ask Him to give you this anointing.

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now
Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.