Best of 2023 : Friday

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if He doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up." Daniel 3:17-18

For many people, faith is rooted in a circumstance rather than God. For example, someone's faith is in healing rather than the Healer, or their faith is in the outcome rather than the One who controls the outcome. The truth is, God works in ways much greater than we could imagine, and if we put our faith in a result or outcome, we have put God in a box. Faith that is tried and true trusts God over outcomes and circumstances. This is the kind of faith that Daniel's friends demonstrated in the book of Daniel.

In Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon at the time, ordered everyone in His kingdom to worship a golden statue that he had ordered to be built. He instructed that anyone who did not worship the statue be thrown into a furnace. Despite the risk, three young Jewish men who had been captured to serve in Nebuchadnezzar's court, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refused to worship the statue. The king's astrologers told the king that they had not worshiped his statue. This made Nebuchadnezzar furious. He "flew into a rage" (verse 13). He ordered that these three men be brought before them. He offered them one more chance to bow down and worship this statue. If they did not bow, he would have them immediately thrown into a furnace. After telling them these things, he asked, "What god will be able to rescue you from my power?" (verse 15). The stakes could not have been higher for these three men.

Do not miss Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's remarkable response: "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, your majesty. But even if he doesn't, wewant to make it clear to you, your majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up." (verse 17). They believed that God had the power to save them, but even if He did not, they would not bow down to this statue. Their faith was not rooted in being saved from the fiery furnace. Their faith was rooted in their God. Because their faith was in God, not their circumstances, they held on to their faith in God even when their very lives were on the line.

The question we have to ask ourselves today is, where is our faith rooted? If our faith rooted in a circumstance or a particular outcome, we will often end up disappointed, confused, or even jaded. If our faith in rooted in our God, the One in control, we will never be disappointed and can walk through everything we face in life with deep, unshakable faith in our God who reigns and rules above everything.

Moving toward action

Write down the words in Daniel 3:17-18 in your notebook or journal. As you write, reflect on these incredible words spoken by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When you are finished writing these verses down, pray. Ask God to give you the tried and true faith that these three men had. Ask Him to help you trust Him above everything.

Going Deeper

Going Deeper - Daniel 3:13-18