What if God Doesn't Fix It?

Faith when the miracle doesn’t come the way you expected.

I absolutely love a good testimony. You know those kinds… “I didn’t know how I was going to pay the bill…and then a check showed up!” kind.

Those are faith building, exciting testimonies of how great our God is. We tell them to everyone we come across. We celebrate them. We even sometimes shout a little when we hear them.

But there’s another kind of testimony we don't talk about nearly as much if at all and it is the prayer that didn't get answered the way we wanted. And yes, I called it a testimony.

What do you do with that? Because somewhere between Sunday morning worship and Monday morning reality, most of us eventually encounter a situation that forces us to wrestle with a difficult question: What if God doesn't fix it?

We have grown fond of the God Who Fixes Things. If we're being truthful, most of us like God best when He's fixing stuff. We pray. God answers. Problem solved. Praise report Sunday morning. Everybody wins.

We love verses like Jeremiah 29:11. We put it on coffee mugs, T-shirts, bumper stickers, and probably somewhere there's a Christian air fryer with Jeremiah 29:11 printed across the side. “For I know the plans I have for you…”

We LOVE that verse. But there's another statement in Scripture that doesn't make nearly as many coffee mugs.

Three Hebrew young men were about to be thrown into a fiery furnace because they refused to worship King Nebuchadnezzar's golden image.

The king gave them one final opportunity to bow. Their response in Daniel 3:17–18: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace… But if not…” Wait. But if not?

That's probably not going to sell many inspirational bumper stickers, is it?

But those three words may contain one of the greatest definitions of faith in the entire Bible. But if not.

They believed God could deliver them. They believed God had the power. They believed God was able. But their faith wasn't dependent upon God doing what they wanted Him to do.

They essentially said: “God can rescue us. But even if He doesn't… He's still our God.” That's faith. Sometimes God changes the situation. Sometimes God changes us in the situation. And those aren't always the same miracle.

I cannot promise people that everything is going to work out exactly the way we want. But somewhere along the journey, I've learned something important. I don't trust God because He always gives me the outcome I want. I trust God because He is still God when I don't understand the outcome.

That's a very different kind of faith. “But If Not” Faith!

There comes a point in our walk with God where our faith has to become bigger than our desired outcome.

God can heal me. But if not, I will trust Him.

God can open the door. But if not, I will trust Him.

God can restore what I've lost. But if not, I will trust Him.

God can change this situation. But if not, I will trust Him.

God can answer exactly the way I've prayed. But if not, He is still worthy of my worship.

That's not giving up. That's not unbelief. That's not expecting the worst. That's mature faith saying: “My confidence isn't in what God does. My confidence is in who God is. ”And there's a huge difference.

God Never Promised There Wouldn't Be a Furnace. God didn't stop them from being thrown into the furnace. The ropes could have broken. Nebuchadnezzar could have changed his mind. The furnace could have gone out. An angel could have shown up beforehand and said, “Don't worry, boys. I'll handle this.” But none of that happened. They were thrown into the fire.

And sometimes that's the part of Christianity we don't like talking about.

Following Jesus doesn't mean you'll never encounter a furnace.

Sometimes you're going to walk through things you never imagined.

And here is what I love about the story. When Nebuchadnezzar looked into the furnace, he suddenly asked: “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”

They said yes. Then the king said: “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire.”

God didn't keep them from the fire. God met them in the fire.

Maybe your testimony will be: “I walked straight through it—and Jesus walked beside me.”

So, What If God Doesn't Fix It? I still believe in miracles. I still believe God heals. I still believe God restores. I still believe God opens doors nobody else can open. I still believe God can step into an impossible situation and change everything in a moment. I've seen Him do it. And I'll keep praying for Him to do it. But I'm learning to add three words to my faith: But if not.

God is still good.

— Ramblings of a Small Church Pastor