I subbed today and we had this lesson. I wasn’t sure which way the lesson focus would go. We spent most of our time on “But if not” and how the fiery furnace story is a sort of microcosm for how life can be. We worship a God of deliverance, but that doesn’t mean we’ll avoid the furnaces of affliction. But with God’s help, we can come to exercise faith to the point where the pain is swallowed up. “No hurt.”

I like the contrast you made between Esther and the others — that there is sometimes a time to be silent about certain things. Reminds me of the Christian Courage talk that Elder Hales gave a couple of years ago.