We’ve heard these Bible stories countless times before. 

Daniel continues to pray even after it becomes illegal, and is thrown into the lions’ den. Yet miraculously, Daniel walks out unharmed. 

King Nebuchadnezzar commands everyone to bow before an idol, but three Jewish men refuse since they worship the one true God. They are thrown into a blazing furnace, yet miraculously, they emerge without a single burn. 

These stories are often used as encouragement to Christians: if you stand firm in your faith, God will not abandon you. He is with you even when the odds seem stacked against you. 

But if these exact scenarios were to play out today, what should we expect? Would we be able to survive being thrown into a lion’s den or a burning furnace? Probably not. 

In fact, throughout history, millions of Christ’s followers have been imprisoned, tortured, and even executed for their faith. So why is Daniel so special? Why did he get an ending different from those who didn’t get a miraculous rescue? 

I don’t think the point of these stories is that God saved those who obey him. Consider the words of the three Jewish men before they were thrown into the furnace. 

^“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,” Daniel 3:17-18

Notice how these men acknowledged both that God is fully able to rescue them, but that he may choose not to. Their obedience never depended on the outcome: whether they lived or died, their answer was the same. The same with Daniel, I’m sure he would have continued to pray regardless of whether he knew God would shut the lion’s mouth or not.

And this raises a contrast with something I’ve observed in a lot of testimonies I’ve heard: there’s always this expectation that God comes in to rescue us at the end. God always somehow ends up providing the healing, the money, or the needs at the end of the story. 

But Scripture never promises a happy ending by earthly standards.

Sometimes God delivers his people from suffering, sometimes he carries them through suffering, and sometimes he welcomes them home after their suffering. The outcomes can differ dramatically, but God’s faithfulness is the same in every scenario. 

Yet, for testimonies that I’ve heard, there seems to be this expectation that people are always delivered from their suffering. I mean, it makes sense why: it’s much more encouraging to hear a story with a happy ending. But most believers actually won’t receive the resolution they hoped for.

And it’s important to emphasize that’s okay. It’s actually expected. Not every testimony ends with healing, provision, or miraculous rescue. But it’s important that we can share our “defeats” with just as much conviction as our “victories.”

Because “even if he does not” (Daniel 3:18) save us from whatever situation we’re in, God’s faithfulness and our obedience should remain unchanged. Most of us won’t walk out of a burning furnace unharmed or leave the lion’s den, but the one constant is that all believers are called to the same type of faith regardless.