Daniel 3-4
Our God is able!
If you ever are in a situation where those around you don’t believe in God and you feel your faith waning also, these chapters should help rev you up. Daniel and his buddies, in a foreign land, surrounded by unbelievers, are remarkable in their ability to continue to be faithful.
It would have been so easy for them to cave in to the influence of those around them. After all, they are there because most of their fellow countrymen had long ago stopped believing in their God. But not this crew. Nothing can stop their faith!
The jealousy aimed at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego by the Babylonians is obvious. Annoyed with the newly earned prestige of these foreigners, the locals quickly snap up the opportunity to point out their disobedience to the king. If the king had asked for most things, they would have complied. Yet there is no way these faithful ones are going to bow down to worship anyone but Jehovah God. So they get into trouble, but God turns the tide for them.
As they are obedient to Him, the fire in the furnace can’t even touch the young Jews. Even though the furnace is seven times as hot as usual and the men who throw them into the fire die instantly, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego come out without even the smell of smoke on them. Could it be because of the “fourth man” in the fire with them? I think so.
Hopefully you and I won’t be thrown into a furnace during our lifetimes. But every life has hardships, and every Christian suffers unfair treatment from those who don’t know the Lord. There are times when we feel like we are in a furnace. And it can be tough.
Yet our Father is there for us, just as He was in the early days of captivity. If we will believe in Him and stand tall, we will be amazed at the many ways our God can turn things around for us.
But we have to be faithful, and we have to believe.
If we do, we will see miracles – just like the Jews of old. And God will get the glory for His greatness.
