DANIEL 3 DEVOTIONAL

IF GOD DOESN’T DELIVER US

They may not have realized they were attending a worship

service when King Nebuchadnezzar had invited them to attend.
They thought it was just the unveiling of the new statue of King
Nebuchadnezzar. Soon a loud voice announced that the entire
crowd, who was already standing, was to bow down and
worship the great statue once the music started to play.
Anyone who did not bow down would be thrown into a fiery
furnace—a large kiln used to heat the metal for the statue.
The music started, and the entire crowd pressed their heads to
the ground. Only three figures remained standing—Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar was outraged!
He demanded that the three “rebels” be brought to him
immediately. He threatened them with the fiery furnace, and
then offered to give them a second chance. And then those
three young men said something that shocked King
Nebuchadnezzar, and still shocks me today.
“O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this
matter. 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.”
But then they said something even more shocking:
“Butif 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.”
That was a brave thing to say to the king of the known world,
and King Nebuchadnezzar acted just like you might expect him
to. He ordered his guards to tie them up and throw them into
that fiery furnace. Those guards died from the heat, but the
three young men remained alive, walking around in the fire.
King Nebuchadnezzar looked more closely and noticed a fourth
man in the fire, and recognized Him as the Son of God. He
ordered them to come out of the fire, and the three did,
unscathed.
I’m not amazed at God’s amazing rescue. I’m amazed at the
three young men’s response. “Even if our God does not deliver
us and we die, we will still not serve your gods or worship your
golden statue.” They loved their God so much that they would
willingly die for Him rather than dishonor Him—someone they
had never seen before.
This story makes me think, how much do I love my God? When
I am faced with a decision that makes me decide between what
I believe and what other people think of me, I should let
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s lives be an appeal to
myself—and all of us. Let’s not be afraid to stand up for what
we believe to be true, and let’s be sure that what we believe is
rooted in Christ Alone!