Daniel 3:24-26 - Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to
his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men
that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied, "Certainly, O
king." He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire,
unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of
the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants
of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire…
It is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. The leaders who served king Nebuchadnezzar don’t
like the Jews that have been assigned to high government positions….so they try
to destroy them with a decree to bow down They to the king’s gold idol. They
refuse…and make one of the greatest statements of faith in the Bible. They say
in verses 17-18…. “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. 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."
They survive the heat of a furnace set up to bake bricks…with
heat of around 1800 degrees fired up 7 times hotter. But they don’t just survive this heat on
their own…Some heavenly being was sent to walk in that furnace with them. Even
the king recorded that he saw four men in the furnace right before he called
them to come back out.
It reminds me that God will not ask us to do anything that
he has not already prepared someone to walk through it with us. We just have to
maintain an attitude that mirrors the faith filled words of Shadrach….Meshach…and
Abednego. We need to be ready to accept our time to cross over to heaven…while
still holding onto the hope that God will always help us in any trial.
Romans 8:28 says…. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for
good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Or what about Philippians
4:13 …. “I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me. Or
Psalms 23:4 … “Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. And don’t forget Jesus’ last words from the great commission in Matthew 28:20 …. “ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. And don’t forget Jesus’ last words from the great commission in Matthew 28:20 …. “ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Father…thank you for the reminder that you will help me in
all that you ask me to do or allow me to suffer through. Forgive me for the
times that I have not remembered the strength filled words of these three ….and
let the world beat me up and get me down.
Help me to find the faith and courage to face life with a new attitude…one
that always says….I know my God can…but even if he doesn’t it is okay. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment