Retratos || Cultivating a “But if Not” Theology
- Anna Portillo
- Sep 2
- 9 min read
Do I trust that Jesus, and the work He has accomplished, is enough? Right now? In the midst of everything? What does it look like to trust God’s power, and also pray “your will be done” in all circumstances?
In the book of Daniel, Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, are faced with an incredibly challenging situation. Either they can go against their faith, their conscience, and the Lord God by bowing to the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image, or they will face certain death in the fiery furnace. During their time in exile, God has allowed these Jewish men to rise to positions of influence and power in Babylon, in spite of (or perhaps better said, because of) their unwavering faith in Yahweh, the True God of Israel. Yet their influence has not been well-received among the Babylonian leaders, who feel jealous and even threatened by these foreigners. In an attempt to do away with these rivals, these wise men of Babylon have come together to incite King Nebuchadnezzar against the Jews, by creating a threat against these Yahweh-worshipers’ consciences, or their lives. What will Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego do? God has cared for them thus far, as they (along with Daniel) have dared to live differently, and to glorify the Lord even in a foreign land. But now? Does God really want to send them to an imminent death? If His faithful servants are killed, how will it speak to God’s power to rescue His people? Will their witness be wasted, or will it be sufficient? Is God’s promise to care for them enough to give up everything and face the fiery furnace?
In some senses, the answer seems obvious: there is NOTHING that compares to following the Lord God, even when it means imminent and painful death. And yet, if we are honest with ourselves, questions of faith, of faithfulness, and “is God enough?” to weather the storms of life, come far too easily. What does it mean to have strong faith in the midst of these questions and trials?
HE IS ABLE, BUT IF NOT...
Incredibly, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego have tasted and seen enough of the power and goodness of their God that they famously and boldly respond to the accusation of King Nebuchadnezzar: “our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king” (Daniel 3:17). Surely, their God, their Maker, the One who has brought them into Babylon, protected and been with them there, and has promised to bring them out, is powerful enough to rescue them from the fiery furnace. So they boldly answer: God is able…HE will deliver us.
This is a strong faith. It is a faith that allows these men to face the fires of death, and know that God can most certainly deliver them. This is the faith we pray for when we see a loved one struggling with a terminal illness, or dealing with unrelenting despair. It is the faith we desire when we enter a broken community, trusting that the Lord can use a tiny church, or a seemingly insignificant individual to transform the community. It is the faith we need when we see the racial tensions and divisions even within the church and against our own ministries, and long to see God bring reconciliation. It is the faith that believes that indeed, where things are impossible for man, “all things are possible with God” (Matthew 19:26).
And yet, in striving to exercise such faith, in praying to trust God in all circumstances, how often we forget the conjunction that follows Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s bold statement. “Yes, our God is able to deliver us,” they affirm: all things are possible with Him. However, perhaps the greater words of faith come in the statement that follows, “But if not…” (Daniel 3:18). One way or another, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego know that God will receive the glory, that He will be faithful to His promises to them, and that they will be delivered from the evils of King Nebuchadnezzar, even if it does not look like physical rescue from the fiery furnace! Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will not waver from their convictions. But it is NOT simply because they have faith that God will deliver them from the furnace, BUT because they trust that even if their lives are burned up, He is still faithful in rescuing their souls, in saving them from the true fiery furnace of hell.
So what does this kind of faith look like? A faith that believes “all things are possible” and still trusts and prays, “but if not…”?
"IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH"
In Jewish tradition, the Passover meal is accompanied by a prayer called the “Dayenu” (literally, “it would have been enough”). In essence, the prayer is a retelling of the Exodus story in short sections: telling something God did for His people, accompanied by the phrase, “it would have been enough.” For example, the prayer says that if God had simply led the people out of Egypt, but not brought judgment on their oppressors, dayenu: “it would have been enough.” And if God had brought judgment on the Egyptians, but had not led them through the Red Sea, dayenu: “it would have been enough.” And if God had led them through the Red Sea, but not fed and sustained them for forty years in the wilderness, dayenu: “it would have been enough.” And so forth.* In a sense, the Dayenu looks at the goodness and provision of God for His people; it encourages a remembrance and trust of His power, and a recognition of the fact that, “but if not,” He is still good; He is still God; He is enough.
So what does it look like to exercise this kind of faith in our lives? In our ministries? When circumstances are challenging or seem unfavorable? Is what God chooses for us truly enough?
“If He had brought me to this city to plant a church, but had not provided the resources along the way, it would have been enough.”
“If He had provided the resources along the way for this church plant, but never allowed it to grow to large numbers, it would be enough…”
“If He allowed this little immigrant church to see lives coming to Christ, but did not allow us to multiply, it would be enough.”
“If El Señor allowed my family to grow and experience His tender love and care in this church planting process, but never added to us other healthy families, it would be enough.”
THY WILL BE DONE
Jesus, the Son of God, entrusted Himself to His omnipotent Father in the face of the most terrible death imaginable. Unironically, He prays powerful words that echo the words of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, as He faces His death in the Garden of Gethsemane: “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). And again, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done” (26:42). The understanding of “it would be enough” and being content with the “but if not’s” can only come in the prayer and understanding of Jesus’ words to the Father: “Thy will be done.”
So we must ask ourselves: Do we want His will to be done? Do we trust the power of God in life and in ministry for what He is able to do, and also and maybe especially in the “but if not’s”?
TRULY, HE IS ENOUGH
How easily we cling to the idea that “Jesus + ______” is enough. But how He loves to show us that SOLO CHRISTO es suficiente. In HIM ALONE can our souls find rest. In CHRIST ALONE will we be satisfied.
This process of exercising faith in the “but if not’s” or believing “it would have been enough” or learning to pray in earnest, “Thy will be done,” is hard. Like we see with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we learn to confess these statements as we stare the fiery furnaces of life in the face:
Will the Lord rescue this precious family from the fire of affliction as they watch their homes and dignity being swept away before them? And if not, can WE trust that HE IS ENOUGH?
Will mi Dios comfort me with the good pleasures of a caring spouse and ministry partner? And if NOT, will He be enough to satisfy all my longings in THIS life, as I continue to work as un solito (o una solita) for Him and seek HIS face?
Like with our Lord Jesus Christ facing death for all of His wayward, bumbling sheep, truly speaking the words “thy will be done” comes at the cost of sweat, blood, and even death to all of our earthly longings and desires. “Lord, please provide relief for this member struggling with deep, physical or mental pain…but not my will, but yours be done.” The reality is, Jesus has already given everything for His sheep. He has already struggled to the point of death, and HE has overcome the grave! Every earthly longing – no matter how good and right it may be – pales in comparison to the assurance of hope that He brings: It is finished.
Truly, “our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). He will burn away all the dross in our lives, and leave us purified for Himself. And yet, He promises that “when you walk through the fire you will not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2), because He has purified us for Himself through the blood of Jesus. And indeed, this is enough! Even if all else fails. Even if what is possible with God is NOT His gracious plan for our lives; even if what we trust and pray He is able to do does NOT come to pass in the ways we think it might… If Jesus has indeed given Himself to rescue us from the fires of hell, how can this not be enough?! All the other manifestations of His power and His glory in us, through us, and to us, this side of heaven, are pictures of His grace that ought to remind us of the greatest work He has already accomplished and will bring to fruition one day.
So as we pray – for our needs, for our desires, for our communities, for our friends and neighbors, for our churches, for our contexts – let us pray for faith to trust God’s power for transformation and intervention. But if not, let us pray fervently for His will to be done. Through the blood of Jesus, it is enough!
May we allow this reality to challenge and shape the way we pray, the way we trust, the way we see God’s hand at work, the way we live, serve and do ministry. “I trust the Lord is able to transform the racial tensions within our denomination…but if NOT (or if not in my lifetime, or not through my efforts), He remains the same, merciful God who sees and cares for the widow, the orphan, and the sojourner.” What we may not see accomplished in this lifetime, we WILL see accomplished fully and far more gloriously when we see our Savior face to face. The question we must ask ourselves is: Did I serve Him faithfully, yielding to HIS voice, seeking HIS purposes, taking HIS yoke, and trusting HIS glory? It is enough! Every small victory, every joy, every taste of His grace this side of heaven is but a glimpse of the incredible picture of redemption that He has accomplished, and in which He allows us to be players.
Dear fellow hermano o hermana en Jesucristo: Is Christ alone enough? Where do you need to learn to pray, “Thy will be done,” and proclaim in faith, “But if not…”?
¡A Dios sea la gloria!
JOIN US IN PRAYER:
Please pray that we - as leaders, congregants, and supporters of the Hispanic church and Church universal, would grow in our "but if not" theology. Pray that we would see and preach the sufficiency of Jesus and His work above all else.
Pray for Hispanic churches, pastors, and their staff in the midst of discouragement and hardship to see that God is powerful, and He is at work. Pray for His will to be done, and for His Gospel to continue to go forward, in spite of and through all the trials.
Anna Portillo is the wife of HLI's Executive Director, José Portillo. Aside from being a wife and mother, Anna is a freelance author and editor in her spare time, with a number of published books and devotionals for adults and children. She also writes regularly for the Retratos blog, and serves in Women's ministries and in leading worship and Vive Charlotte Church.
Please consider giving to HLI, that the Lord may continue multiplying the resources for the training, encouragement, renewal, and multiplication of new leaders in and for the Hispanic-American context, and even beyond.
*Note that this example above is a truncated version of the full prayer. The full prayer transcribed to English can be found at the following website: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/dayenu-it-would-have-been-enough/ .
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