November 20, 2024
Daily Devotion:
"The Unyielding Faith”
Daniel 3:28-30
New Living Translation
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to
rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or
language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!” 30 Then the king
promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.
For a king who thought he was the most powerful person, we can understand his anger at the three men who challenged his authority. Nebuchadnezzar asked for the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. It was so hot that the men who took Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to the furnace died instantly. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell into the furnace still bound. It seemed to be a hopeless
situation. However, God is greater than any created thing. God was about to show the king who had all power and authority. Suddenly, there were four men walking around untied in the fire. King Nebuchadnezzar described the fourth man as “Like that of a god!”
Nebuchadnezzar himself went to the door of the furnace calling for the “servants of the most high God” to come out. What was meant to bring death, God used to reveal that He is the source of all life.
Nebuchadnezzar praised the God who rescued Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as well as their trust in Him for being willing to put their lives in danger rather than worship anyone else. He acknowledged that there is no other god who can deliver in this way. King Nebuchadnezzar still did not completely get it, but he was slowly understanding more of who God is. God, in His kindness, was still patiently calling him. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were able to rejoice in their sufferings, and it produced perseverance and hope. We, too, will face many trials for our faith. But as Paul writes, our sufferings do not “put us to shame” (Romans 5:5 ESV), We know that we serve the all-powerful God who is with us always, even through the fire.
As they left the furnace, the people saw that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were completely unharmed. Not
even their clothes were affected, and they didn’t even smell of fire! God completely protected them from every aspect of the fire. and it produced perseverance and hope.
