No Matter What
Some may believe that if you're a Christian your life will be happy and smooth. That God will bless you because your living for Him. Although you will be blessed, it’s not of the same definition that the world uses. We can see secular ungodly people declaring they are blessed, but are they? The truth is that having material or financial abundance or comfort does not constitute being blessed. That is wealth. For some this is a blessing and others not. But let’s keep in mind that some who are living godly lives are suffering severely. What is going on? Why would God allow His own to deal with hardship and suffering. Shouldn’t their lives be happy and smooth? We find that’s not always the situation. God created perfection once and man’s freedom to choose wrecked it. Evil entered the picture and all of us now live in a sin-filled world. Many ask if he is God why doesn’t he rescue us and have mercy on us. He did! Jesus on the cross! Now once again we have the freedom to choose. Sometimes it’s hard to accept that while we patiently wait for what is to come, God’s goodness falls on both His own and the wicked. Those who don’t live for God get to experience the benefits of His light in this world. This won’t always be the way it is, but for now were all in it together. Suffering or abundance, with God we are blessed. He is our merciful Savior and Lord worthy of all our praise. No matter what.
Daniel and his friends were taken from their homes. Exiled. Although God showed them favor in others eyes in the foreign land they also did experience severe suffering. Daniel was a man who set his sights on living for God alone. He regularly prayed to God and continued to do so after being ordered to stop. This resulted in the king’s guards locking him in with lions to be eaten. He knew there was only One True God and wasn’t going to quit his communion with Him. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were Daniels three friends who refused to bow down to the king’s statue. This resulted in the king’s guards forcing them into a burning furnace that was so hot it killed the men putting them in. They would only bow to the One True God.
We don’t know what we will face in this life, but we all have a choice. Will we live a life of obedience to God or choose our own way. Daniel and his three friends chose God’s way. Surprisingly they all survived these extreme tortures in miraculous ways for God’s glory, which is not always the case in this world. Nonetheless, they lived for God regardless of the consequences. We, like these men are absolutely truly blessed if God is in our lives, come what may, no matter what.