Faith in the Furnace

I just came up from telling a bunch of preschoolers the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and it reminded me that it’s one of my favorite stories in the Bible.  You may or may not know the story so here’s a summary. These three men from Judah, along with Daniel, were made into leaders within the Babylonian government and were found to be wiser and more helpful to the king than any other advisors.  In Daniel chapter 3 we find that the king has built a statue that he requires everyone to bow to.  Of course, the three men of God refuse and are tattled on by others.  

This is where the story gets good.  The king brings up these trusted advisors and angrily gives them one more chance to bow. There, before the king, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego show their faithfulness.  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 3:16-18)

Having heard this story my whole life, it’s easy to imagine these three men choosing to follow God because I know the ending. Of course God saves them so the choice was simple.  But they didn’t know that God would save them. They trusted in God’s power to save, but they weren’t sure that He would choose to do so. They followed anyway.

It seems to me that this is what faith is really about. Does following God mean that He will always protect you from harm? Absolutely not. And having problems in our lives doesn’t mean we have too little of faith. If that were the case, then Jesus would have never been faced with the cross.

The words of these three men remind us that our heroes of the faith didn’t always know God would come through for them. Abraham didn’t know God would stop him from sacrificing his son, David didn’t know he’d defeat Goliath, Elijah couldn’t be sure God would bring fire for his altar, and Daniel didn’t know the lions’ mouths would be shut. But they all walked in faith anyway, and gave God the opportunity to work.

I want to be someone like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; willing to follow God’s leading even if He doesn’t protect me from the consequences. After all, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”