“We Will Not Serve Your Gods”
Accordingly,
at this time certain Chaldeans came forward and
denounced the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O King, live forever! You, O king, have made a decree,
that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, shall fall
down and worship the golden statue, and whoever does not fall down and worship
shall be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. There are certain Jews whom you
have appointed over the affairs of the
Then
Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meschach,
and Abednego be brought in; so they brought those men
before the king. Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you
do not serve my gods and you do not worship the golden statue that I have set
up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble to fall
down and worship the statue that I have made, well and good. But if you do not
worship, you shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and
who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?”
Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego
answered the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defense to
you in this matter. If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the
furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. But if not, let it be known to you, O king,
that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden
statue that you have set up.”
Daniel 3:8-18
Through the centuries, many of God’s servants have faced the possibility of agonizing deaths unless they renounced their faith. They knew that God could deliver them, but they also knew that in keeping with His own purposes He might not answer their pleas for supernatural help.
We
will all face problems. Just because we are Christians does not mean our lives
will be easy. The difference is that we have something and someone to hold on
to. He will provide us with help through His grace, and we will never be tested
beyond what we can deal with.
Be willing to endure whatever will glorify God and work
out His holy purpose.
When conviction runs deep, courage will rise to sustain
it.
Our Daily Bread –