I love the Word of God. It holds countless stories and testimonies that show us God’s heart. Not only this, but the very fact that God has intentionally given us His Word, and ordained it to be written over 1600 years by forty different authors on three different continents, shows us how much He cares for us and longs for us to know His great love.
This particular story from Scripture has always been one of my favorites because of the way God shows us His power and with-ness. The fact that God saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from a blazing furnace with absolutely no trace of fire on them is an absolute miracle. God shows us that He always does more than we can ask or imagine, and He reigns above all. But how He saved them touches me deeply.
God could have saved these men from the fire with a word from heaven. He could have shut the fire off completely. Instead, He literally became present with them in the fire. Let’s not miss the beauty of this moment. The Divine entering into the physical, sinful world and entering into the messiest part of it. The Divine meeting us right where we are and bringing light, protection, provision, healing, hope, and purpose to our present circumstance.
It is right here that God’s heart is made known to us. The God we serve is willing to step down from heaven to save us. This moment is incredible, and it also serves as a foreshadowing to the way Jesus Christ would come to save us all (John 1:14).
This is the God we get to choose to obey.
Here are some other beautiful takeaways from this story:
- When we choose to obey, we are acting on God’s character, and God confirms His character all the more. These three men made the choice to obey God despite the consequences because they knew God’s character. They knew God had the power to save them, and they declared this to the king (Daniel 3:17). They also decided that they would obey God even if He chose not to save them (3:18). God was deeply honored by their faith in Him and devotion to Him, so He intervened to show them and the world just how powerful and loving He is.
- Our divine calling comes with divine provision. We have been called by God to obey Him — to set our minds on eternal things and not temporary things (Colossians 3:2). This is a divine calling. When we obey, God helps. He does not leave us alone in our obedience. When He calls us, He provides for us. His Spirit empowers us, emboldens us, and equips us. He Himself goes with us and before us (John 14:16-17). We have everything we need to live the life He has called us to live (2 Peter 1:3).
- Our obedience shows the world who we are and who God is. When the king saw that these men were divinely protected, he called them to step out of the furnace. Here is how he identified them: servants of the Most High God (Daniel 3:26). Then, he declared this: “There exists no other god who can deliver in this way” (3:29). Our obedience shows the world who we are, servants of the Most High God. Our obedience also shows the world who God is, Almighty and All-powerful, deserving of our praise!
- Our obedience opens the door for God’s power to be revealed. If these three men would not have stepped out in faith and gone against the wave of the culture, we would not get to see such a mighty demonstration of God’s salvation power. God could have shown His power to the king and all the people without these men, but then they would have missed out on the blessing of being used by Him. God wants to use us to declare the greatness of His power and the beauty of His gospel.
- God’s favor rests upon us when we obey. In this story, these men were promoted by someone who previously despised their faith in pride (Daniel 3:30). Only God can change hearts like this (3:28-29)! What a joy it is to walk in the constant favor of a God who does not condemn us because we are covered in the righteousness of His Son, Jesus (Psalm 34:22). “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
A final thought to leave us with:
The Lord really spoke to me when I read these words from Daniel 3:25 (ESV):
But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire…
How beautiful is that word, unbound. We are talking about obedience, and many will quickly think of bondage. But in the Word of God, in this very story, we see obedience linked to this word: unbound. We see obedience linked with freedom in the presence of Christ. Jesus was present in that fire, so there was abundant freedom.
We, too, can experience this divine freedom. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, by faith, we can become the very temple of God, housing His presence, continually lavished in His freedom-giving grace.
How beautiful is that?
