God is with Us in Our Trials

As we move into chapter 3 we see that Daniel is not in the current picture or even mentioned. Our focus shifts to the three friends in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego and their willingness to die for what they believe in and who they follow. As Daniel has demonstrated in chapters 1 and 2 his resolve is very strong in serving God and their resolve is reflective of Daniels in chapter 3.

King Nebuchadnezzar builds a statue that is 60 cubits (90 feet) tall and 6 cubits (9 feet) wide. This statue is gold and the king decrees that every subject in the kingdom shall fall down and worship it. The signal used to bow down is the music, the horn, the flute, the harp and lyre playing together in symphony. No matter where you are at, when you hear this symphony, you will need to drop on your knees and worship him. The decree stipulates that death will come to those who do not obey the decree by way of being burned to death in a fiery furnace.

The king hears of the disobedience displayed by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego and summons a meeting with them. He gets furious over the response they give when asked if they will worship his god with a resounding no! With the response by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, the king orders them to be thrown into the furnace but before they are, he also orders the furnace to be heated 7 times hotter than the norm. We see that the guards who are marching them to the furnace are dropping and dyeing because the immense deadly heat. The three are thrown in the furnace fully clothed and when the king sees not three but four figures in the furnace he is astonished. In his amazement, he goes down to the furnace opens the door to find no harm, no char, no smell on the three men or their clothing. The king then realizes that the God of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego is greater than his gods and even himself. He assess the situation and realizes that God has saved them and quickly gives God glory. He also gives Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego positions and provinces in Babylon.

When you put your hope and trust in God good things will happen. Not everyone will be blessed like Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, but God will certainly bless each one us when we have faith in Him. It is through our relationship with God through Jesus that our faith grows stronger each day when we wake up and give God glory. God uses our trials and tribulations we experience every day to strengthen our faith in Him. His love for us is forever and He will always be there for us in our darkest times and our greatest needs.

We see so much evil in the world today and the Lord has forewarned us that we would be in this place in this time. The time for God’s return is short and getting shorter and we need to have the same resolve as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego did when it comes to not compromising our relationship we have with Jesus. The question is are you prepared to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Are you willing to sacrifice in the same manner as Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego did? Are you ready to stop compromising? In the face of death they never compromised their faith in God. Did they feel afraid or uncertain? We see in verses 17 and 18 that whether God delivers them from the kings hand or not, they will never bow down and worship Nebuchadnezzar's statue.

In a world that shuns God and the biblical principles and values we live by, we as true Christians need to be aware of our surroundings and the messaging that is being promoted by non-believers in Christ. These messages should not deter us, never scare us nor threaten our relationship we have with Jesus. Every day we should seek the Lord for His forgiveness of the sins we continually commit. We need His guidance to stay in His will. When we are in prayer and are following God, our world view quickly changes and our perspective in life changes to a biblical view. With God constantly in our field of view we can see the light, walk in the light and reverence our God without shame. God will provide our every need when we let Him. God will protect us when we let Him. God loves us so much He sacrificed His Son for us. All He is asking for is a commitment on our part to follow Him so He may be the center of our lives.

My prayer is that we look towards God and turn away from the evil in this world. I pray that we allow the Lord to lead our lives, to guide our lives and be the center of our lives. I pray that our selfish ambitions are removed and we become the heirs and children of God that He has made us to be. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray Amen! Amen!