“But if not, He is still good.” – commonly associated with the passage of Daniel 3.

Last week, I found a picture on Pinterest with the quote above. I am going to be honest, I could not recall what it was referencing, but I had gone through Daniel before and I thought it was a uniquely short, but intriguing phrase. So without much thought, I made it my phone’s lock screen.

Little did I know, it played a large role in my perspective this past week. I am unsure as to why, but the last 6 days or so have been the kind where you reconsider everything you’re doing in life and contemplate if everything needs to change or if you’re just overthinking. Day after day, I not only was caught up in all my thoughts, but I happen to endure the most annoying and frustrating little experiences that seemed to pop up every few hours. To name a few; I slammed my finger in a door, I spilled coffee all over the inside my work bag, I hit a massive pothole, I wasted money on an insulated travel mug that doesn’t even hold heat beyond an hour, and for the cherry on top, I have been judged by all my students for the last 3 days because my eye has been insanely swollen.

Alone, these inconveniences don’t seem too bad. But as they happened so consistently, I am not going to lie, I was tempted to question why in the world God thought it was so funny to let them keep happening. But what is weird, is that I didn’t truly get mad. I am not known to be the most positive person anymore in life, and especially not when I face inconveniences. But any time I tried to cultivate some bitterness, it was uprooted and replaced with hope that good could still come out of the day. Part of me feels that may have been a result of the conviction I felt every time I looked at my new lock screen. Though that was not the only word God pressed on my heart this week.

A long time ago, I heard a song that said, “Who am I to deny what the Lord has done?” Now, I have listened to that song a million or so times since I first heard it, but for some reason, that line has been repeating in my head along with the flashbacks of the actual moment I heard that for the first time and broke into tears. Initially, I thought it was just going to go away without any purpose, but then it all hit me as I was standing outside my classroom with 22 kids asking how I could have forgotten the keys inside when we left for Chapel. Amidst their pleading for a tardy pass for their next class, I heard one kid look at me and say, “Ms. Dan, this is really just not your day, is it?”

Though I felt a sense of guilt for the mishap these kids had to experience because of my mindless action, I actually just busted out laughing. It was as though time froze when he said that to me and I realized what the point of the repetitive song stuck in my head was for and why I was so attracted to this random new lock screen.

When I got home that afternoon, I ran straight to my prayer notebook and re-read the last week’s-worth of entries. Just as I thought, page after page was dedicated to the complaints I had, while short sentences finished the entry in praise…

Let’s take a quick dive into Daniel 3 for a moment to give a background on the highlighted verse.

Leading up to the verse that inspired the quote at the top of this blog (v.18), Daniel was facing quite a pickle.

This king named Nebuchadnezzar (great inspiration for a baby boy name if you are looking for something Biblical haha), had a dream that made him highly concerned. He sought many wise men before he finally found Daniel to interpret it for him. Though Daniel did the job by the wisdom of God, the peace only lasted for so long after that. Nebuchadnezzar’s pride got the best of him and he decided to make this massive image of gold and command everyone to bow down and worship it whenever they sounded a signal. For many, this was no issue, but for Daniel’s companions; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, this was not worth dishonoring God over.

When Nebuchadnezzar heard of their disobedience, he sent soldiers to take captive Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego so that he could throw them in a furnace. Now this wasn’t just a big ole bonfire they happen to gather together, this furnace was so hot that the soldiers who pushed the 3 men into it, were burned to death as they got closer.

Though just before they were lead into it, Nebuchadnezzar gave them a final chance to change their minds as he mocked their God. Rather than caving into the fear or responding with anger, they said, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (v. 16-18).

How inspiring is that bold mindset amidst such adversity? The more I looked into this passage, the more my thoughts began falling into place.

When I saw the lack of gratitude in my prayer notebook, I began to realize that perhaps that phrase, “but if not, He is still good.” and the song verse, “Who am I to deny what the Lord has done?” were divinely placed on my heart this specific week.

The flashbacks I kept having of the first time I heard that song was during a time where I truly felt little to no joy or hope and the thought of going to God as broken and distant as I felt, made my heart physically ache. Out of pure routine and half an ounce of wishful thinking, I went to a church service that had some special speaker for young adults. Though the message also hit my soul, what made me ball my eyes out like a baby in front of a bunch of strangers was that song verse. Why? Because for the first time in a year, I realized how persistent God was extending His love and how often I rejected it. Unlike those 3 men in Daniel 3, I saw the tough situation I was in and dismissed the capabilities of the God I serve.

Now, I have grown a lot since that time. But if I am honest, a large part of me still finds so much comfort in sorrow. Whether I have a reason to be sad or not, I feel secure in it. Though what I failed to notice for such a long time, was that me gravitating towards that feeling was simultaneously turning my eyes away from my reality – the reality that God is who He says He is and I have indeed been saved by Him.

God pulled me out of the pit I was in. Surely, I still suffer from some ways of thinking, but that does not negate all the goodness the Lord has done. How foolish is it to plead for deliverance, receive it, yet live the rest of your life trying to re-shackle the broken chains on yourself?

I am not advocating lying to yourself to “find joy”, but I am saying that if you desire freedom from a life-stripping cycle of behavior, you must, in every way possible, bring yourself to see the reality of God’s involvement in your life.

My dear friend, you must seek out what He has done. For as you do, the inconveniences and burdens of this world will grow strangely dim in comparison to the goodness of God and the depth of His love for you. It is then in those moments of frustration as our circumstances go south, that we too can end our prayers with, “but if not, You are still good. For who am I to deny what You have done?” and actually mean it from the core of our heart.

Thoughts to consider:

Do you find yourself magnifying the burdens of your day over the blessings?

How can you begin implementing the discipline of gratitude in your daily schedule?

Do you focus on living out the purpose you have to love God and others no matter what or do you idolize your comfort through trying to control all circumstances in your life?

Consider the way your heart can transform by aligning your perspective with the Lord’s and how that can influence others to do the same.

“But if not, He is still good.” – “Who am I to deny what the Lord has done?”