November 19, 2024
Daily Devotion:
"Faith That Stands Firm in the Fire"
Daniel 3:17-18
New Living Translation
17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it
clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
We quickly learn that King Nebuchadnezzar’s heart did not change after proclaiming who God is in chapter 2. He still believed he had ultimate power and wanted the people to recognize this power. He decided to build a giant statue of himself, having everyone bow down to worship it.
Daniel was busy at the king’s court, but his praying friends faced the choice of worshiping the Babylonian gods and King Nebuchadnezzar’s statue or death.
Despite the temptation around them, the three friends stood firm. Can you imagine how they must have felt realizing everyone else had bowed down?
Though the king gave them a second chance to bow down, they boldly stated who God is. God is real and powerful, and He could rescue them. Even if in His wisdom He chose not to, He remained good and the only one they would bow down to.
Like Daniel’s friends, the world is constantly pulling at us to worship false gods. We often find ourselves worshiping beauty, money, success, fame, popularity, family, politics, entertainment etc. The truth is that these things have no eternal value. We are called to so much more!
We will all worship something. God calls us into a relationship with Him where we can worship the eternal, loving Savior who is preparing our eternal home right now. It is the
privilege believers have to worship God with our whole lives. As Peter writes, our faith and our inheritance of being with Jesus, though tested by fire, results in praise and glory.
It is not always easy to stand firm for our faith. But like Daniel’s friends, knowing who God is and trusting His ways, no matter the outcome, allows us to persevere through
trials. What we experience here on earth is not the end. We have an eternal hope waiting for us.
