When God Does Not

Daniel 3.1-18

There are times when God does not do what we think He will.

These three Hebrew men knew He could deliver them and they were fairly certain that He would, make that very sure. They had great faith, but they did not know what the outcome would be.

There are times when we pray and believe and trust and things do not turn out the way we had thought they would.

Perhaps the biggest issue we have to face here is healing, praying for some one to be healed who loves the LORD. When I was a very young pastor, 25 years old to be exact, way back in 1981, I was part of a pastor’s group where a bunch of us just starting out in the ministry would meet and have some breakfast and talk. One day there was an older pastor who came. He was filling in for a few months at a church while they waited for the arrival of the new pastor. He was a mature man. He spoke to us that day from his heart. He spoke about having things firm in our minds. I listened carefully. He spoke about healing and how there are times when God does not heal even after we have prayed very hard with faith. He said “It is important fellows that you know what you believe about this. If you don’t people could get hurt by you.” Then he told us that his wife was terminally ill. He told us they had prayed and believed but she grew worse and was not going to live.

17 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. 18 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.

But even if He does not

Rescue us (Remember Paul’s chains)
Colossians 4.3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.

Heal my loved one

Heal me (Remember Paul’s thorn) II Corinthians 12.7

Give me what I think would be good
It might be a snake or a scorpion Luke 11.11-13

Do what I am asking
Remember Paul the Apostle knew what it was to go hungry


Admittedly there have been times when I lacked faith and God honored
someone else’s faith
Ex/ my Dad being healed. My niece had faith.

Likewise there have been times I thought and believed God would do what He is able to do and He did not.


What about this “Even If He Does Not”?

1. Don’t lose your faith (or become bitter ) Genesis 49:22-24

Do not try and figure this out. Don’t theologize. People who do that are not the ones with the questions generally. They are the ones who think they have the answers Be careful around people who never say, “I don’t know.” I remember a time when I had some pretty heavy questions about the future, my future. I went to this pastor, a few years older than me, whom I respected and asked him what he thought. He humbly said, “I don’t know. I’m not God.”

Some, keep their faith but let their fruit become bitter. “I love you, you know ”

Joseph is an example. Bitterness and hostility yet he remained strong and firm.


2. Keep your eyes upon Him and His glory Hebrews 12.1-3

This is given in the context of suffering if your read on.

3. Don’t bow to images or gold or anything else. Exodus 20.4-6

This was a golden image, probably of Nebuchadnezzar himself. We have to be careful not to let the pursuit of riches find its way into our heart.

4. Praise Him
Not easy when He does not do what we hoped for. Or when suffering occurs fro no apparent reason. Job 13.15 Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him

5. Keep Serving Him to the end 1 Corinthians 1:8-9
Offer yourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12.1-3)
Press on Philippians 3.14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Hope in the LORD
Trust in the LORD with al your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding.
Obey the LORD.

Wait for the LORD, be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.