Daniel 3:16-28
As I was looking through my bible yesterday is desperate need for some encouragement, I ended up in the book of Daniel. Daniel is an amazing book, written about a man who was captured when he was young, who was stripped of everything that mattered in his culture but was not afraid to worship God. In fact, he was greatly blessed by God during his life in a foreign land. By being faithful and sacrificing for the Lord, God gave him favour with all those around him. Despite having the most hostile environment around him, Daniel was still prepared to serve God no matter the cost. What a lesson in faith!
But as I was looking through this book, it wasn’t Daniel’s story which struck me, instead it was the story of his friends who were also in captivity with him. When the king put out a decree saying they must bow down to a golden statue and worship it, they refused! Even when threaten with a furnace they still stood firm. How incredible is their statement?! They tell the most powerful man in the whole world, that there is a greater being, one who can save them from the flames and even if He doesn’t is still more worthy of their worship than the man in front of them! Oh to have their trust! How often does our culture tell us we must bow down and worship an idea, a belief system, a leader, people group and if we don’t, they throw us into the firey furnace of the media or mob.
How amazing is the response in this situation, from the men, from God and then finally from the king! The men stand firm and God joins them in the fire! And, not only joins them, but protects them and brings them out unharmed. What a wonderful, all powerful God we serve! Finally, the change of heart by the king, when faced by God’s raw power in their lives he cannot help but be changed. This is the affect the power of God can have on someone’s life. It is very hard to see God’s power work and not be changed. We should all pray that to be channels of God into others lives.
May we live with faith like these men, in hostile and terrible circumstances like these men lived.
♡
Musings by Tee 