A Lesson from Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
Hello, My Chickadees. The message this month is taken out of a page of our biblical history. I was reading about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (some would say a bad Negro), and I was struck by the nerve and courage it took for them to stand up to King Nebuchadnezzar, who not only threatened their lives because of their refusal to bow down and serve his gods and worship the golden statue, but did so knowing that there was a furnace waiting for them if they didn’t bow. These original “bad boys” were brazen enough to tell the king
“We will not serve your God or worship the golden statue that you set up,” Daniel 3:18. What kind of courage does it take to look death in the face and say like Queen Esther, “If I perish, I perish”? Many brave men and women have gone off to war and fought and died for what others believed, but what does it take to look death in the face and stand for what you believe?
In reflecting on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, let’s examine what they knew:
1. They obviously knew that the God they served had the power and ability to save them. Being good Hebrew boys, I am sure that they grew up hearing stories of how their God was a God who could deliver and had a track record for delivering their people from the hands of their enemy. They weren’t quite sure what He would do, but they knew what He was ABLE to do, and they surrendered their situation to the God they knew was able to save and deliver them.
2. They knew that “The Lord their God was God alone and they were expected to love the Lord their God with all their heart, with all their soul, with all their mind, and with all their strength,” (Mark 12:30, Deuteronomy 6:4-7) and Him only should they serve. They knew what was expected of them as children of the true living God and they weren’t willing to compromise their beliefs or expectations, even in the face of death. That’s what you call standing firm on faith.
3. Lastly, they knew that the God they served loved them and promised to never leave them or forsake them (Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:6). They knew that their God was a God who is not slack on His promises. Perhaps while standing on the edge of the furnace waiting to be thrown in, they remembered the instruction from Deuteronomy 31:6: “Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you or forsake you.” Being human, I am sure they must have felt fear, but they didn’t allow their fear or the appearance of their situation stop them from standing on God’s word and taking courage. When we choose to yield our will to God’s, He shows Himself faithful to His promises towards us.
The Bible states that King Nebuchadnezzar asked his nobles who were standing next to him watching the three Hebrew boys dancing in the furnace, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire? Assuredly, O King, they answered. But he replied, I see four men unfettered and unhurt, walking in the fire; and the fourth looks like the son of God,” (Daniel 3:24). I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to shout G-L-O-R-Y to the God who, if He doesn’t deliver us, will get right in the heat of our situation and see us through.
The other lesson we can take from Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is to praise Him for what He is able to do. Praise Him while you’re going through, believing that deliverance is on the way.
When facing our own fiery furnaces, we would be wise to apply some of the lessons we’ve learned from Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego about how to take courage and have faith for the furnace.
Last month, we celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and several days leading up to his birthday, my mind was focused on what courage it took to stand and withstand the daily death threats, false accusations, jail time, and the venom of hate that accosted him everywhere he went. He had to know God, take courage, and conclude like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and countless others who stood up to injustice, unrighteousness, and their own fears, and say “If I perish, I perish.” Trust that the same God, who is irrespective of person, and is the same yesterday, today, and forever, is well able to deliver us, too.
Peace and Blessings, My Chickadees,
Gail
P.S. Please look for and spread the word about the latest project that God is birthing through me, dedicated to all of you. It is a daily word to encourage and inspire all of us entitled Good Morning My Chickadees: Morning Messages from Mom.