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“Then Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent His angel and rescued His servants! They trusted in Him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God’” (Daniel 3:28).

A primary heat source for our home is our coal stove, using good old Pennsylvania anthracite coal. I fill the hopper in the back of the stove early each morning and the coal is slowly, automatically fed to the burner. A white hot portion on the burner only about 4x4 inches is generally adequate to keep our entire house warm, although during the very cold periods we do use some electric heat.

The stove has a glass door on the front so I can see the warm glow and verify that it's working. When I see the light from a distant glance I'm confident that the heat is there as well!  I sure don't want to let the fire die out on a cold day since it takes quite a while for the coal to reach the desirable temperature!

Each morning I open the door to empty the ash bin. Looking in I have an idea of what a hot furnace must be like! I can only imagine how big one must be to hold three men as I consider three of my favorite Bible characters; Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

Their testimony is an extraordinary example of uncompromising allegiance to Almighty God in the face of our relentless enemy. The account of these men of faith is surely one of the greatest stories of deliverance written in the Bible. They demonstrate to believers of all ages the incredible power of faith and obedience.

The godly trio got into serious trouble because they refused to compromise a core commandment of God in bowing down to the 90 foot tall golden image Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

God chose to miraculously deliver these young men, but their deliverance was not without a great deal of suspense.  They were subjected to the fury of the king as his attitude changed toward them. It wasn’t enough that they were going to be thrown into the hot fire, but now the fire was heated seven times hotter than usual.

There could be no quick escape as the strongest of soldiers bound them and then, before their very eyes they watched these strong soldiers die from the blazing flames that they were about to be thrown into.

Most importantly they were not delivered from the hot fiery furnace but were preserved through it. Not a hair on their head was singed, their robes were unscorched, their bodies unharmed and there was no smell of smoke found on them. (That detail always intrigues me). Wow, that’s a dramatic and miraculous deliverance!

The daily verse is actually a powerful faith statement made by the secular King Nebuchadnezzar, after he personally witnessed their miraculous deliverance, whose respect they earned. "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent His angel and rescued His servants! They trusted in Him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God".

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego demonstrate four qualities so needed by genuine followers of Christ today:

    * Uncompromising Convictions (Daniel 1:8).
    * Unwavering Commitment (Daniel 3:12).
    * Unswerving Courage (Daniel 3:16,17).
    * Unshakable Confidence (Daniel 3:18).

They trusted the living God, defying the wicked command of the secular king, fully knowing the consequences. They were willing to give up their lives for their conviction. I believe true followers of Christ will increasingly need these particular characteristics as the world’s system grows increasingly hostile to Christ, His followers, and the standards of the Bible. Can this growing disdain and hostility be denied?

We urge you this day to live by core convictions that you will not violate, so that when the time of testing comes, you, like these three young men will stand firm in your faith. Elton Trueblood has written, “Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation". If you’re in the suspenseful stage of the Lord’s planned deliverance, don’t be alarmed but stand firm. For He has promised, "Never will I leave you.  Never will I forsake you".

Be encouraged today! Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

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