A perilous situation...
Imagine this: you are in the President’s yard. He has called everyone there for an important announcement. Today, he claims, all prejudice in America will stop. Everyone across the country will be united as one. Then comes the big unveiling… a tree has been planted in front of the White House. It is beautiful, tall and blossoming. It has been grafted together from all kinds of fruit trees. Everyone is in awe of the beautiful tree. Then the President announces this tree is the nation’s god. At the sound of music, everyone is told to worship it. You think, What? This has to be a joke. But soon everyone is on the ground. The President glares at you. He snaps his fingers and soon you see guards coming your way. You know it won’t be good if you’re taken away.
This may seem a little far-fetched, but it is similar to what three Hebrew boys endured, as recorded in the book of Daniel. The king, Nebuchadnezzar, had made a golden statue. It was approximately ninety feet tall and nine feet wide. The King ordered that everyone should bow down and worship it. At the sound of all kinds of music, everyone did. Everyone, that is, except the three Hebrew boys— Hananiah (renamed Shadrach), Mishael (renamed Meshach), and Azariah (renamed Abednego). When facing the King they replied this:
“O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up (Daniel 3:17-18).”
A Divine solution.
God DID save them, and King Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged that He is the one true God. The three boys all got a promotion, and it was made illegal to speak out against God. God truly used this perilous situation for the best.
Their response is notable for three reasons. First, they knew that God could save them. Never once did they doubt His power. They boldly state that God can and will rescue them. It is very hard to trust God sometimes. When bad things happen, our faith is shaken. We don’t trust God and try to do everything by ourselves. The three Hebrew children knew that God is the only person they should trust with their lives. Their faith never moved, and that should be an example for us.
Second, they trusted God even if He didn’t save them. They knew He could, but were also wise enough to know that the answer could very well be, “No.” God doesn’t always answer the way we want, but He does always give the answer that’s best. In this case, for Nebuchadnezzar to be impacted, it took the three boys being saved. For someone else, though, it may have taken sleepless nights racked with guilt for them to acknowledge God. We have to trust that He knows what’s best, even when we don’t.
Finally, this shows steadfastness and the importance of companionship. The three boys faced tremendous peer pressure. After all, everyone else was bowing down. Similarly, it can be very hard to be a Christian today and stand up for what’s right. Thankfully, though, we don’t have to stand alone. Like with the three boys, it is easier to stand when you have someone beside you. God will always provide you with what and who you need to complete His plan for you. After all, “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12).”
Even though this world is broken and uncertain, we know that God can and will save us. Even if He doesn’t, we can still trust that He is good. We can stand fast and God will make sure we don’t have to stand alone. No matter what life throws at us, we can say, “Even if God does not rescue me, I want you to know, oh world, that I will not do what you want. I will stay true to my God.” This is why Daniel 3:18 is my life verse.
