If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Daniel 3;17-18
When fiery trials of life come into our lives, all too often we despair or become angry. We may cry out to God with that piercing question, “Why?” We pray for a miracle when a loved one is ill and then wonder what happened when our loved one dies anyway. Couldn’t God have saved them? Couldn’t God have prevented the storm from ripping away all that I clung to on this earth? Couldn’t God have prevented the Cancer or the years of illness that followed? Of course, He could have!! But He didn’t in my case and often He doesn’t; yet, what He does is more miraculous than the miracle we are asking for.
Nebuchadnezzar had quickly forgotten his own words concerning God spoken to Daniel: “Of a truth it is that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings” (Daniel 2:47). Most certainly, he had either forgotten or misunderstood Daniels proclamation, “Thou, O King, art a king of kings, for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory” (Daniel 2:37). Much like a lot of people we meet. Perhaps they have come to the awareness of God; but, quickly become more occupied in their own self exaltation. Never falling to the ground in praise or awe of God’s Grace and Glory toward them. So it was,
Nebuchadnezzar in his pride built a statue (an image of himself) and placed it in the courtyard with a declaration that all men should bow before it when the music was played.
That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Daniel 3:5-6
We are not told where Daniel was when these events took place; perhaps away on affairs of the state. At any rate, his three faithful friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were there. When the decree went forth and the music played, everyone bowed to worship the golden image; except these three. The King was furious!! He offered them one more chance to obey. Still they refused. His pride filled anger grew as he ordered them thrown into the furnace. He asked that the fire be stocked to maximum blaze as he had them bound and cast into the furnace.
FAITH THAT TRUSTS BEYOND SIGHT
Look at their response, when Nebuchadnezzar asked if their God could save them. “If God so chooses, He can deliver us. If He chooses not to, we will still serve Him, worship Him, and trust Him.”
They were cast into the fire! Then, when King Nebuchadnezzar looked down into the burning flames, he saw 4 men walking in the fire and the 4th was like unto the “the Son of God.” Although, Nebuchadnezzar most likely did not realize the full truth of this statement at the time; but, it is believed that yes, Jesus was there in the furnace with these three faithful servants of God.
These three young men could have easily said, “When in Babylon, do as the Babylonians.” They could have tried to justify being politically correct rather than standing for God; after all, God had allowed them to be taken captive and be placed as Eunuchs in King Nebuchadnezzar’s service. They were not even certain that God would save them from the fiery furnace; but, they would worship God Alone, no matter what the circumstances surrounding them.
BACK TO MY STORY FOR A MOMENT
My life has been filled with lots of unexpected storms, trials so great that I dare not begin to tell you all of them. I wish I could tell you that every time I was as faithful as these three; but, alas I wasn’t. Sometimes, the trials came as a result of my own failures or my own selfish desires seeking to fill some perceived void in my own heart with counterfeit joys of this world. Still, as God’s Beloved Child; every trial that came, Jesus was there in the midst of it with me. He was there to guide me, love me, forgive me, and strengthen me. During every trial, God turned it for my good and was able to use these bumbling feet to further His Kingdom as well. That was a miracle itself. Furthermore, He used every tear, every sorrow, every trial to step by step transform my heart into one who could stand in awe and wonder of His Grace and His Glory.
LESSONS FOR YOU AND ME
1. Trials come as long as we are on this earth. That is part of living in a fallen world; but, for those who know Christ as their Savior, He is there with us. He said,
In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
2. God takes all the broken shattered pieces of our life and in His Loving Hands transforms them into beauty.
we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30)
3. God’s ultimate purpose for each of us who follow Him is to “Lavish us with His Love, shower us in His Joy, and share with us His Glory” as we see in the Jesus prayer on His way to the Garden of Gethsemane as found in John 17. I explained this in great depth in an earlier post In A Despairing World, What is my Purpose?
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
[bctt tweet=”God does not always give us the answer we think is best; but, He always gives us the best answer.” username=”effiedarlene”]
I do know this. Every sorrow, every trial, every rocky road, every tear, and every storm; I would gladly walk again for the joy of knowing God as I know Him today. I do not know what storms are still laying in my path; but, I will like these three young men say, “If God chooses, He will save me from the fiery furnace. If not, I still will praise Him for He is worthy of all my praise!”
Original photo used by permission at https://unsplash.com/@reymark_franke I added the inscription.
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2016
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.