June 13 I Thursday

Ezra 6-8

John 21

“Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar... If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.’”   

—Daniel 3:16-17

There may come a point in each of our lives where we are forced to do something that we know is wrong. Do we stand with faith against what we are told to do or do we succumb to it? After King Nebuchadnezzar built his giant golden statue, he commanded all the people to worship it as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music. Any failure to comply would have that person thrown into a blazing furnace.

Among the people, only Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stood against the King’s command. When King Nebuchadnezzar heard of this, he summoned these men to question their action: “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up?... But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” (Daniel 3:14-15).

What do we do when we are facing those situations to compromise because we are surrounded by Babylon and everyone else is doing it? Do we give in to the crowd around us, or do we recall God’s Word and stand firm on it?

At their impending doom, maybe Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were recalling the words from Isaiah, who said, “When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour” (Isaiah 43:2-3). When King Nebuchadnezzar asked, “What god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” we see that he had positioned himself above God. We find that his problem was not actually with the three friends but with God. The king’s faith was in his abilities, resources, power and what his hands had made. His display of the 90-foot statue was not about calling the people to worship his god; it was all about his own ego. He was insecure, upset and trying to hold onto power, while Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were secure, at peace and letting go of power. The three friends held onto their faith in God: “He will defend and deliver us; He is the object of our devotion, we will not bow down to you.” The three friends are standing on God’s Word and have based their resolve on who God is.

In whatever circumstances we face, may we stand firmly on the promises found in the Word of God––like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—by not wavering in our faith but knowing that our God will deliver us.

Prayer: Almighty God, thank You that You are my deliverer. Guide me in times of fiery trials to stand with faith on Your promises.