The Fiery Furnace
Submitted by Lori Bova, Patriot Mom
Daniel 3
We all know the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and the fiery furnace. But, have you ever really thought about what those young fellas really did? They made a conscious decision, in advance, that they would not bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s idol. No compromise with the ruler that could do anything he wanted with them or to them. They didn’t stipulate the conditions in which they might bow down, only that they would not. We so often, leave a little “give” in our decisions. We rationalize that we might waiver if the fire gets a little too hot. Not these guys. They held fast to their faith. They knew that their God would not forsake them, even if the outcome was less than desirable.
I love that once the guys were in the fire, Nebuchadnezzar noticed a fourth man in the furnace. The fourth man had the “looks of a son of the gods”. Hmmm. Reminds me of the footprints in the sand poem. He never leaves our side, even in the midst of our fires. He always brings us through to the other side. These trials make us mentally tough and spiritually sound.
Just like Nebuchadnezzar’s people, we are so prone to depend on our own gods rather than the one true God; self-reliance, self-defense, self-indulgence, and self-pity to name a few. Let’s all make a conscious decision, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to base our FAITH on the Maker of heaven and earth.
F – Fearless Faith
A – Absolute Faith
I – Intentional Faith
T – Tenacious Faith
H – Holy Faith
We all know the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and the fiery furnace. But, have you ever really thought about what those young fellas really did? They made a conscious decision, in advance, that they would not bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s idol. No compromise with the ruler that could do anything he wanted with them or to them. They didn’t stipulate the conditions in which they might bow down, only that they would not. We so often, leave a little “give” in our decisions. We rationalize that we might waiver if the fire gets a little too hot. Not these guys. They held fast to their faith. They knew that their God would not forsake them, even if the outcome was less than desirable.
I love that once the guys were in the fire, Nebuchadnezzar noticed a fourth man in the furnace. The fourth man had the “looks of a son of the gods”. Hmmm. Reminds me of the footprints in the sand poem. He never leaves our side, even in the midst of our fires. He always brings us through to the other side. These trials make us mentally tough and spiritually sound.
Just like Nebuchadnezzar’s people, we are so prone to depend on our own gods rather than the one true God; self-reliance, self-defense, self-indulgence, and self-pity to name a few. Let’s all make a conscious decision, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to base our FAITH on the Maker of heaven and earth.
F – Fearless Faith
A – Absolute Faith
I – Intentional Faith
T – Tenacious Faith
H – Holy Faith
