13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, furious with rage, summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden statue I have set up? 15 Now, if you are ready, as soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the statue I have made. But if you refuse to worship, you will be thrown at once into the blazing fiery furnace. Then what god will be able to deliver you from my hands?”

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If the God whom we serve exists, then He is able to deliver us from the blazing fiery furnace and from your hand, O king. 18 But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Everett

After being dobbed in by the Astrologers, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are brought before Nebuchadnezzar. He is furious, and doubles down on his threat to throw them into the furnace if they won’t worship his statue. 

 But how incredible is their response? There’s no boasting or bravado, no fawning or begging, no attacks or insults. Instead, they just show that they really know their God, and they trust him.

 They know that they don’t need to answer Nebuchadnezzar in this matter – they are accountable to God alone. 

They know that the God they serve IS able to rescue them. He’s all powerful. He can split a sea, destroy an army, and stop a raging fire from burning a single hair on their heads. 

They know that their God is sovereign – he does whatever pleases him. His wisdom is far greater than theirs. So they know he may choose not to rescue them. 

But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego still know that their God is the only one worth worshipping. 

 I know that our culture is becoming increasingly hostile towards Christians. Laws are being passed to limit prayer, scripture, and even the sanctity of life. I wouldn’t be surprised if Christians start being imprisoned or heavily fined for following Jesus in the coming years. 

 But Daniel 3 encourages me to have a bigger vision of God amidst this. My God is the one I’m really answerable too. My God is able to rescue me from any danger or persecution. My God is sovereign, and controlling every event of history, even if I don’t understand it all. My God is still the only one worth worshipping. He’s the defeater of death, the king of kings. 

 So when the world becomes more hostile to Christians, we don’t need to respond with insults, or give in. We can calmly declare that our God is the risen Lord, and trust him to bring us home safely. Let’s pray for a bigger vision of our God, and for the strength to trust in him no matter what comes. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our Student Ministers.