“The God whom we serve is able to save us. He WILL rescue us from your power, your Majesty.” – Daniel 3:17
Talk about faith. Of all the heroes and she-roes of faith in the Bible, Shadrach Meshach, and Abednego stand out as three of the top 10 on my list. They give me pause to wonder: could I do that? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were facing certain death because they not only stood up to the king who demanded they do what was evil in God’s sight, but they respectfully told him to go ahead and do what he wanted to do to them; they weren’t bowing. That’s pretty bold. I don’t know about you, but that’s the kind of faith I want and need to be praying for; a faith that is sold out, resolute, and steadfast. A faith like Esther who said to her king, “If I perish, I perish.”
The one thing Scripture tells us about Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is that they prayed every day, several times a day, to the God they knew delivered. They must’ve pulled out those Stones of Remembrance I talked about last month and recalled other times in which God faithfully delivered. Because Daniel had found favor with the King as a result of his ability to interpret the King’s dreams, his recommendation to the King that he appoint Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be in charge of all of the affairs of the province of Babylon was not only respected, but acted upon (Daniel 3:49).
In the story of the three Hebrew boys is an example of how God will be your vindication (Psalm 17:21) and make your enemies your footstool (Psalm 110:1). Not only will He make them your footstool, but the Bible tells us that when your enemies “Come at you one way, they will flee from you in seven” (Deuteronomy 28:7).
It was a spirit of jealousy that devised the wicked plan to bring the Hebrew boys to the attention of the King. But the God we serve says, “No weapon formed against you will prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment, you shall condemn” (Isaiah 54:17). Evil devices put God in the position of having to act on His Word. This God who is faithful and whose word does not and will not return void (Isaiah 55:11), had to deliver. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego weren’t sure how He would deliver, but they knew He was ABLE; so they prayed and gave praise to the God who is “Able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20).
We all have those fiery furnace episodes in our lives and for some of us, these seem like seasons. We find ourselves in situations in which we have done all that we could do, and we have to stand and trust God to do what only He is able to do. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, when cast into the furnace, we must remember that prayer and praise become the weapons of our warfare. After giving it to God in prayer, praise takes our mind off our situation and focuses it on God’s goodness, His power, His steadfast love, and His ability to step in and turn things around.
The Hebrew boys knew that if God elected not to save them from the situation, He would be right in it with them, and that was good enough for them. I’m sure they knew about what He did for Daniel and since He is irrespective of person, He could do it for them.
When you face challenges – hopefully not ones that are a matter of life and death – remember to shift your focus from your situation to your solution. We serve the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who inhabits the praises of His people and is ABLE to do all things but fail.
Peace and Blessings, and share this with a friend,
Gail