Romans 8:28: “And we (we children of God, we followers of the Lord Jesus Christ) KNOW (not speculate, surmise, think, hope, etc., but KNOW) that ALL THINGS (not some things, not most things, not a lot of things, but ALL THINGS – from crashes to cancer) work together for (our) good to them that love God (that’s US), to them who are the called (called out of this world and into the family of God) according to His purpose.”
The prophet Daniel tells of how his three young companions were arrested by the Babylonian authorities and threatened with being thrown alive into a burning fiery furnace unless they fell prostate in worship before a Babylonian image in homage to King Nebuchadnezzar. They replied, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.” Some might think with their next words they kind of hedged their bet as they then said, “But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (See Daniel 3:17-18).
They didn’t hedge their bet at all as they knew their God was going to deliver them from idolatry either way – by life or death. They knew something else. They knew that death was not the end. It is only the end of the beginning. This present life is just a beginning. It is our preparation for eternity. Death doesn’t end all. It just ends our heartaches, our sufferings, our trials, our disappointments. “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory.” Jesus is our resurrection and our life.
Perusing one of my marked up Bibles from many years ago, I came across this notation in my own handwriting in the margin of Daniel 3:18. I had underlined the beginning words, “But if not” and made the notation “What if we develop cancer?” Litttle did I know that in May of 2016 I would be diagnosed with cancer as that notation was made in the mid-nineties of the 20th Century.
And you probably know the rest of the story as given in Daniel 3. These three young men were delivered. Looking into the furnace where these three men were thrown, the king said, “Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God” (See verse 25).
Our Lord is ever with us in the fiery trials we sometimes face. We need to ever keep that in mind. He promised, “I’ll not leave you alone. I will come to you.” Even through the valley of the shadow of death He is with us. And why fear a shadow. A shadow can do us no harm at all. The one who brought you through six trials will surely bring you through seven!
Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley