Before, In, and After: God is still Good.

"Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, 'O 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 save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.'" - Daniel 3:16-18

Over the course of this year, I have shed more tears than I probably have in my life second only to middle school career. And, I HATE CRYING! I really do. It makes me feel childish and most of the time my problems are pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but the tears still come. They have come because of grades, questioning God's plan for my life, boys, and, more recently, friends who have simply become acquaintances. 

So, tonight as I was thinking about this last week and, furthermore, this entire year, I was looking to expand a few of my boards on Pinterest. And, I saw this: 

It was one of the first pins I saw when I got on, and, boy, did I need it. I keep thinking that life gets easier. That life is eventually going to be like the series finale of a TV show or the ending of romcom where everything is rainbows and butterflies and they live happily ever after. But, it has yet to happen and maybe it never will. But, as I was looking at this pin and as I opened my Bible to read the whole story, I thought to myself that the ending isn't as important as the outcome. And, you know what the outcome is? God is good. Period. Point-blank. Done. That's the outcome. 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could have died in that furnace. They could have been burned to ashes. But, they faced that furnace anyway, because they already knew the outcome. They knew that God was in control. They knew that God works all things for the good of those who love him (Rom. 8:28). Now, you may say, "Wait, that verse wasn't even around during the Old Testament times." And, no it wasn't. But, it's truth was. And, that same truth is still true today. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trusted in this fact. They knew that regardless God had things under control and they trusted in His goodness to get them through a literal furnace. Now, I'm sure we haven't had too many literal furnaces to walk through lately. But, if you're like me, there have been quiet a few metaphorical furnaces. And, you know, in the end, God is still good. 

But, there is no way that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would have even said what they said to the king without having a love for God. And, this love comes from the fact that God is good. They loved God, and they knew that He would take care of them. They trusted fully in his love and goodness to get through the furnace, because He had probably proven to them multiple times before that He would take care of them regardless. 

And, I know you're probably thinking, "Catherine, don't forget to mention the highlight of the story." Many of us know. It's what made us feel invincible when we were children. It made us feel like we could take on the world. If you want, I encourage you to read the whole story for yourself (Dan. 3). It's pretty great. But, if not, I'll go ahead and tell you: God got right there in the furnace with them. Three people went in. Four people were seen in the furnace. Three people walked out, clean as whistles. 

There is a saying that "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." But, I don't really think this is true at all. Instead, I think that when the going gets tough, the tough get God. I haven't seen any furnaces with standing room, but I have started a few fires in our wood stove. And, let me tell you, it is hot and dirty in there. I'm sure the furnace that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in was even hotter and dirtier. But, God was in there right along with them. He could have easily saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego without entering the furnace. He's God, remember. But, He chose to get right in there anyway. He's God, remember. He isn't afraid of our messy, dirty lives. He isn't afraid to wipe our tears away. And, if we're being honest, He's the only one who can even remotely understand the pain that you feel every time you look at someone. He's the only one that knows how worried you are about your life. And, He's the only one who knows why you sometimes cry some seemingly insignificant reason. He's the only one who understands you enough to give you just what you need at exactly the right time (even if it is a pin on Pinterest). Sure, people can say kind words to you and try to understand what you're going through. In the end, though, we're all humans struggling to get through life, which is why we need God. Because He is good. All the time. Before the furnace. In the furnace. After the furnace. He is good. He is God.