Daniel 3

I feel like I have wasted time. Precious time that I will never get back. All the change and growth that could have been taking place was put on hold for my selfishness. Like all that I had wasn't enough so I cast the greatest gift aside.

Wow! So cool. Just doing a little more bible reading and I came across the story of The Image of Gold and the Blazing Furnace. The story is about king Nebuchadnezzar and his tyrany. He creates a shrine of gold and places it upon the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. (Babylon, the place where the people of Isreal were retaken and called to slavery after perverting the name of God) and calls everyone to come gather in dedication of the image he had set up. He orders every knee to bow and worship his Gods under penalty of being thrown into a Blazing Furnace.

When the people heard "the sound of horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and people of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold..." Some atrologers later found king Nebuchadnezzar and told him that some of the Jews were not obeying his command.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are summoned the Nebuchadnezzar to come confess to their crimes. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are given the chance to fall to their knees is obediance to the king but they don't. In fact they tell King Nebuchadnezzar "we don't need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If the God we serve is able to deliver us, then He will deliver us from the furnace and from your majestys hand. But even if He doesn't, we want you to know, your majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the idol you have set up."

What happened to this kind of faith? In times of trials we turn our backs to God as if he enjoys our suffering. I think what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is romantic. Not only do they faith that God, our amazing God, would save them but that they love God enough to not be proud in their faith but allow God to take action as He would choose to.

It's one thing to be faced in troubled times and believe that God will hear your cries and help you, but it's entirely different when you give the all powerful God the choice. Not that He needs your permission, but to trust in Him so much that you are going to love Him no matter how He appears to you in your troubled times.

If you never watched Veggie Tales as a kid, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego we're thrown into the furnace 7x what the original heating was killing 3 soldiers in the process. King Nebuchadnezzar looks into the flames and sees not three bodies but four. All of whom are fully dressed, without burn or pain. He immediatly calls the guard to open the doors and calls out to the three. The crowd gathered around and saw that this was true.

"Praise be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who has sent his angel and rescued His servants. They trusted in Him and defied the kings command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any other god other than their own God... no other God can save in this way."

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were faithful in our Lord God. And their prize is greater in heaven for beleiving without sight.

How awesome is our God. That out of every human being in the world. He loves you. That He would save your life. That He laid His only son for our sin. I love Jesus. He is so good to me.