Reason #284
Into the fire they went. Bound up, all three of them, and thrown into the furnace. No chance to escape, and they plunged to their death, or so it seemed. Three men who refused to bow to an idol. Three men who stared fear straight in the face and didn't collapse under the pressure. And so, they were marched to their death. A raging fire, a furnace hotter than the norm, awaited to consume them. A painful death, the end of their lives. I'm sure they weren't ready. They weren't prepared for this in the least. I'm mean really, who is ever prepared to face the fire? So I can only imagine what went through their minds as they walked this death march. I can only imagine the fear that rose inside them as the felt the heat from the furnace. As beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads, I can imagine they wished to be anywhere else at the moment. And I bet they were bewildered at how it was all going down. This was really it, or so it seemed.
One last chance. One last chance to let fear rule them. They were given one more opportunity to bow down. But they stood firm. Unwaivering faith. Scared, I'm sure. But they held their ground. They knew the God they served. They proclaimed His faithfulness and now the opportunity had arisen to live it out. Time to line up words with actions.
"Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” - Daniel 3:14-18
But even if He doesn't.... even if He doesn't. That's a scary statement to make. One that the faint-at-heart wouldn't be able to whisper. A statement of absolute faith and trust. Even if. There are a lot of if's in life. A lot. If this happens, if it goes this way, if this is how it turns out, if this doesn't work, if this isn't the right decision. If. A short word with a lot of possibilities. And so sometimes if becomes a reality, and sometimes, if is your biggest fear. Because the if part is the scary part. In the if lies a bit of uncertainty and unknown.
"If you refuse", He wasn't certain that they would. "If you throw us into the fire," they weren't certain He would. But here's where the meaning of if changed. Because if went from being uncertain and contingent to certain and absolute. "If we are thrown in, [He] is able to save us." No uncertainties there. He is able. But they didn't stop there. They didn't leave the king hanging. Because what if it went the other way? Well, even then, even if He didn't, their minds were still made up. If He did, if He didn't, well it didn't really matter because either way, He is still God. No if's, and's or but's about it. Even if...He is still God.
And so their fears became realities as they were thrown into the fires. Thrown in to be consumed and defeated. Thrown in not by a choice of their own. But He showed up. He met them right in the middle of the fire just like they knew He would. In the middle of the fear, the stress, the worry, the anxiety and He showed up. There to help, there to protect, there to save. And so I'm thankful to serve a God who is always able to rescue us. A God who gives us opportunities to match our words up with our actions. A God who never allows us to face fear alone. And most of all, a God who always saves us in one form or another. And even if He doesn't choose to do it the way we think or want, He is still God. Even if it turns out differently than expected, He is still sovereign. And if we are going to allow anything to consume us, anything to overtake us, it should be the very One who walks through the fire to save us and gives us the victory over fear every time.
#284 - Because even if He doesn't, He is still God.
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him...There is no other god who can rescue like this!” - Daniel 3:28-29
One last chance. One last chance to let fear rule them. They were given one more opportunity to bow down. But they stood firm. Unwaivering faith. Scared, I'm sure. But they held their ground. They knew the God they served. They proclaimed His faithfulness and now the opportunity had arisen to live it out. Time to line up words with actions.
"Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” - Daniel 3:14-18
But even if He doesn't.... even if He doesn't. That's a scary statement to make. One that the faint-at-heart wouldn't be able to whisper. A statement of absolute faith and trust. Even if. There are a lot of if's in life. A lot. If this happens, if it goes this way, if this is how it turns out, if this doesn't work, if this isn't the right decision. If. A short word with a lot of possibilities. And so sometimes if becomes a reality, and sometimes, if is your biggest fear. Because the if part is the scary part. In the if lies a bit of uncertainty and unknown.
"If you refuse", He wasn't certain that they would. "If you throw us into the fire," they weren't certain He would. But here's where the meaning of if changed. Because if went from being uncertain and contingent to certain and absolute. "If we are thrown in, [He] is able to save us." No uncertainties there. He is able. But they didn't stop there. They didn't leave the king hanging. Because what if it went the other way? Well, even then, even if He didn't, their minds were still made up. If He did, if He didn't, well it didn't really matter because either way, He is still God. No if's, and's or but's about it. Even if...He is still God.
And so their fears became realities as they were thrown into the fires. Thrown in to be consumed and defeated. Thrown in not by a choice of their own. But He showed up. He met them right in the middle of the fire just like they knew He would. In the middle of the fear, the stress, the worry, the anxiety and He showed up. There to help, there to protect, there to save. And so I'm thankful to serve a God who is always able to rescue us. A God who gives us opportunities to match our words up with our actions. A God who never allows us to face fear alone. And most of all, a God who always saves us in one form or another. And even if He doesn't choose to do it the way we think or want, He is still God. Even if it turns out differently than expected, He is still sovereign. And if we are going to allow anything to consume us, anything to overtake us, it should be the very One who walks through the fire to save us and gives us the victory over fear every time.
#284 - Because even if He doesn't, He is still God.
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him...There is no other god who can rescue like this!” - Daniel 3:28-29
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