What to do when you don’t know what God will do …

When do we humans often lose our cool and make our worst decisions?

When the pressure is the heaviest and we’re not sure of exactly what God will do.

That’s when we often let fear take control and the result can be calamitous.

Even as Christians, there are many occasions when God’s guidance may not be clear in the moment of decision. You know what God is capable of doing, but you have no promise of exactly what He will do in the immediate situation.

So what do you do?

Here’s some advice: When you don’t know if God will, stand on what you know He can.

That advice was the action lived out by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the dramatic challenge to their faith as recorded in Daniel 3. Verses 1-15 tell how King Nebuchadnezzar had set up a 90-foot tall statue of himself and ordered that everyone was to bow down and worship it.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were faithful to God, and so they simply wouldn’t obey King Nebuchadnezzar’s command. Some astrologers squealed about their disobedience to the king, who responded by flying into a rage. Nebuchadnezzar gave the three young men one last chance: either bow before the statue and worship, or be thrown into a fiery furnace.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were under a lot of pressure at a time of decision.

They thought God would likely rescue them since they were remaining obedient to Him rather than bowing before an idol. BUT …

… but they didn’t know for sure.

Here’s how they responded to King Nebuchadnezzar: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up,'” (Daniel 3:16-18).

They thought it likely God would rescue them (“… He will rescue us from your power …”) but they weren’t positive He would (“… but even if He doesn’t …”). But they knew if He didn’t deliver them from the furnace, He would deliver them through it by letting them die in blessed obedience to Him. The matter would then be resolved in eternity.

Because they didn’t know exactly what God would do, they gained the courage of their convictions by standing on what they knew God could do. He could rescue them from or through the furnace. That was all these three believers in God needed to know in order to have the courage to do the right thing in a difficult circumstance.

What do you do when you’re not sure exactly what God will do for you? How can you gain courage and a sense of direction in those times by knowing what He can do for you?

Scotty