Has your faith really ever been tested? I mean REALLY put to the test?
5 Life-Changing Lessons from the Story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego Dan. 3
Prevention is better than a cure. So you eat your vegetables, drink eight glasses of water each day, stay away form illicit substances, exercise regularly, drive within the speed limit, pray, and believe the Bible.
Despite all the effort, sometimes stuff still goes wrong: you have a heart attack; your mother gets cancer; your marriage falls apart; your children rebel; you lose your job; the list goes on.
Long ago there were three Hebrews who lived righteous lives, yet things didn't go so well for them. They encountered evil, but rather than succumb like everyone else around them, they challenged their situation. At first matters only became worse, but in the end they came through smelling like roses.
Life isn't easy, and sometimes it deals you a rotten hand. Don't succumb to the weight of it all; find hope in the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Because what you need is a miracle in the fire.
Persuaded Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises (Romans 4:20-21).
When you read the account of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3, one thing is apparent: they were fully persuaded. Nothing could make them bow to Nebuchadnezzar's statue - no threats, no consequence, no punishment. They were fully persuaded of the promises of God and in their obedience to him (Daniel 3:16-18).
If life has pushed you too far, it is time to rise up with the attitude of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - an attitude where you are fully persuaded.God can rescue me from cancer... Even if he doesn't, I will not bow down.
God can restore my marriage... Even if he doesn't, I will not bow down.
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God will cause me to prosper... Even if he doesn't, I will not bow down.
Pressure You might expect a fully persuaded attitude would cause breakthrough. Not necessarily. When Nebuchadnezzar heard Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego's words of defiance, he did not back down either. He turned up the pressure. Things got even hotter (Daniel 3:19).
Things may be heating up in your life - divorce, custody battles, sickness, mental illness. You took a stand for God but things just got worse. You found yourself staring down a fire. A fire like none you've seen. You thought God would save you from the fire. You prayed God would save you from the fire. But it remains.
Don't despair. Because when the devil turns up the heat, God does too.
Promise...
But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you” (Isaiah 43:1-2).
God isn't going to save you from the fire. He will bring you through it. When you walk through the fire of cancer, sickness, divorce, financial ruin - you shall not be burned.
Nebuchadnezzar made the fire so hot it killed some of his strongest soldiers (Daniel 3:22). Fire is deadly - for some. But you will not be truly burned. If you are fully persuaded of the promises of God, you will not be destroyed.
You expected the miracle outside the fire. You thought God would save you before things went that far. But for you, the miracle is in the fire. Like it was for three Hebrews.
Protection
When Nebuchadnezzar threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the fire, their chains broke, Jesus walked with them, and they did not smell of smoke (Daniel 3:24-27).
When you walk through the fire, chains will break. Satan has used your situation to keep you living a small and contained life. No longer! Chains break in the fire.
According to the promise of Isaiah 43, Jesus will walk with you in the fire. Whatever the trouble or trial may be, you will have a tangible sense of his presence. Jesus reveals himself in the fire. Watch for deeper revelation and worship experiences in your life.
Promotion
When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego exited the fire, they received a promotion. King Nebuchadnezzar saw the goodness and favour of God on their lives and promoted them in his worldly kingdom (Daniel 3:30).
The fire may have been your greatest test, but on the other side you will see promotion. You will experience spiritual promotion, for fire always refines. You may also encounter physical promotion in your job and experience greater favor with those you know. Others will recognize the goodness of God through your faith.
If the fires of life are threatening, take heart. The miracle of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is a miracle for you too. Be fully persuaded. Believe the promise, so when the pressure increases, you receive protection and ultimately promotion.
Don't give up. Your miracle is in the fire.
God didn’t put out the fire, He just put Jesus in there with them…and they came out without smoke. It’s not about God stopping all the things that look bad; it’s about Who is in there with you.
Question: "What should we learn from the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?"
Answer: The amazing story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, three young men defying the mighty King Nebuchadnezzar and thrown into a fiery furnace, has captured the hearts of young children as well as adults for centuries. Recorded in the third chapter of Daniel, the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego provides believers today with strong and lasting lessons.
For their refusal to obey the king’s decree to bow down to the idol, three charges were brought against them. They paid no heed to the king and his commands, they did not serve the king’s gods, and they refused to worship the golden statue the king himself had set up. The penalty for their actions was death. Their response to the king was profound:
"O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up" (Daniel 3:15-18).
We cannot but be astonished by their faith in the one true God. At the very outset, their response in the moment of trial confirmed three things: their unswerving conviction of the God of the Bible, their confidence in the God who is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do, and their faith as revealed by their reliance upon the only One who had the power to deliver them from evil. Their acknowledgment of God over the world’s most powerful king resulted in God’s supreme power being revealed to unbelievers. Their faith demonstrates that God is able to deliver us from our own problems and trials.
As believers, we know that God is able to deliver. However, we also know that He does not always do so. Romans 5 tells us that God may allow trials and difficulties in our lives to build our character, strengthen our faith, or for other reasons unknown to us. We may not always understand the purpose of our trials, but God simply asks that we trust Him—even when it is not easy. Job, who endured incredible pain, almost insurmountable agony, and suffering, was still able to say, “Though He may slay me, yet will I hope in Him” (Job 13:15).
We also know that God does not always guarantee that we will never suffer or experience death, but He does promise to be with us always. We should learn that in times of trial and persecution our attitude should reflect that of these three young men: “But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up" (Daniel 3:18). Without question, these are some of the most courageous words ever spoken.
Jesus Himself said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Even if Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had to suffer a horrible, painful death in a burning oven, they refused to abandon God and worship an idol. Such faith has been seen innumerable times throughout the centuries by believers who have suffered martyrdom for the Lord.
Nebuchadnezzar was astonished that the fire did not consume Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He was even more amazed when he saw not three, but a fourth person with them: "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" (Daniel 3:25 NKJV). The point here is that, when we “walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7), there may be those times of fiery persecution, but we can be assured that He is with us (Matthew 28:20). He will sustain us (Psalm 55:22; Psalms 147:6). He will ultimately deliver us. He will save us … eternally (Matthew 25:41, 46).
The chief lesson from the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is that, as Christians, we will never be able to bring the world to Christ by becoming like it. As did these three men, so should we in revealing to the world a higher power, a greater purpose, and a superior morality, than the world in which we live. If we are put before the fiery furnace, we can reveal the One who can deliver us from it. Remember the powerful, yet comforting words, of the apostle Paul:
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
Our hope when experiencing illness, persecution, or pain lies in knowing that this life is not the end—there is life after death. That is His promise to all those who love and obey Him. Knowing that we will have eternal life with God enables us to live above the pain and suffering we endure in this life (John 14:23).
