King Nebuchadnezzar made a statue 90 feet tall. Three of Daniel’s friends wouldn’t bow down and worship this powerless hunk of gold—and Nebuchadnezzar was furious, so furious that he ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to die in a fiery furnace.
Not even that threat would get them to change their minds. They told the king, “If our God, whom we honor, can save us from a blazing furnace and from your power, he will, Your Majesty. But if he doesn’t, you should know, Your Majesty, we’ll never honor your gods or worship the gold statue that you set up” (Daniel 3:17,18).
They knew their God was the one true God and that he could rescue them. If he didn’t, well, they’d be in heaven.
The men were tied up and thrown into the furnace. “Then Nebuchadnezzar was startled. He sprang to his feet. He asked his advisers, ‘Didn’t we throw three men into the fire?’ ‘That’s true, Your Majesty,’ they answered. The king replied, ‘But look, I see four men. They’re untied, walking in the middle of the fire, and unharmed. The fourth one looks like a son of the gods’” (verses 24,25).
Our God gives courage to people whose lives are threatened for believing in him. He also gives you the strength to not give in when others want you to break God’s commandments. You are given the same conviction as the men in the furnace.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—young men who wouldn’t dishonor God—were God’s children, just like you are.
Chomp on this!
Read the whole story in Daniel chapter 3.
