Daniel 3: My First Thoughts

Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "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 3:14-18 (NIV Version, bold mine)

We are studying Daniel with our church family currently. It such an amazing story of faith, not just Daniel's but of his friends' too. This particular part is a famous story: three men choosing to be thrown into a blazing furnace instead of bowing to an idol. Three men miraculously rescued from that blazing furnace.

Their faith spoke to me as I sat in the pew. Faith tested in the ultimate way: choose faith in God and die OR choose something else. They could have bowed. They could have rationalized it in many different ways. They could have, but they didn't.

Their faith was faith in God, not faith in what He could do for them, but in Him. They recognized that He could rescue them from the furnace, but that He might not. They still chose God because of who He is. That's faith. Real faith. It reminded me of a man in the Bible who was called "blameless" and who "feared God and shunned evil", Job. The most memorable thing he ever said (in my opinion, of course) was "though he slay me, yet I will trust him". That's what faith is. Trusting God. No. Matter. What.