Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” – Daniel 3:15-18
Has anyone ever threatened you as a Christian? Has anyone ever tried to tease or taunt you because you trusted God?
Well, let me introduce you to three gentlemen, whose original name was Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They are commonly known as Shadrach, Meshach, and AbedNego. These young men are popularly known for being thrown into a fiery furnace that was so hot, the men who threw them into the furnace died from the heat. These young men were covered by God and survived the furnace without any wounds. (Read Daniel 3:19-30)
I would like to point out what they said before they were thrown into the fiery furnace. The King told these young men that if they did not worship his gods then they would be killed. So they knew their fate. They knew they would be thrown into the fire. In other words, they knew persecution was coming and that it would be torture.
But look at their response to the king. They essentially said (paraphrase), “We believe God can deliver us, but even if He chooses not to, we will still stand as His servants. You will not be able to say you persuaded us against God.”
How many of us can say, I know what God is capable of, but even if He doesn’t come through in the way I think, I will still trust Him.
Do you trust God even if you do not have your way? Do you trust God even if it looks like He doesn’t come through?
I encourage you to really think about who God is. He is a God that has a good purpose behind everything. So even when we are uncomfortable or threatened, we should trust in Him.
PRAYER: Lord, Help me to stand on your word and to trust in you. Holy Spirit, guide me and direct me in tough situations. Give me the strength and boldness to stand on the Word of God no matter what. In Jesus name, Amen.