Faithful No Matter What

      By Fern Horst

"Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God." (Daniel 3:28)

When Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were taken captive by the Babylonians, they were made eunuchs to serve in the king's palace. They were not only stripped of their homes and their freedom, they were stripped of their ability to marry and have families, and were made servants of the king of an enemy nation.

Their response to this very disappointing turn of events? They chose to keep on serving and worshipping God, and to not be defiled by the practices of the people around them, no matter what it may cost them.

Their resolve was severely tested.

When it was told to the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down and worship his golden image, the king was furious and threw them into a fiery furnace. He was astonished when he saw four men walking in the fire, and the fourth man looked like the Son of God! He called them out, and immediately decreed that anyone who spoke anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would be cut in pieces, "because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort."

Years later Darius the Median became king and made Daniel second to him in his kingdom. There were some who were jealous of Daniel's position. Knowing that Daniel prayed daily to his God, they urged King Darius to make a decree that "whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions".

When this decree did not deter Daniel from his practice of praying to God three times a day, the king was forced to throw him into a den of lions. But God shut those lions' mouths, and after a sleepless night, King Darius hurried to the den to find that Daniel was still alive! Humbled, Darius declared, "I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions." (Daniel 6:26-7)

Not only did God use these four men to bring knowledge of His greatness to another nation, but He also prospered them as individuals. They became top leaders in this foreign nation - positions of personal affluence, but also positions where they could influence others about God.

All of this was a result of the choice that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego made when they found themselves in a very disappointing situation, and the same one we can make today: to keep on serving the Lord no matter what "captivity" we have been carried into against our will. It's not the type of life we have that makes a difference for eternity. It's what we choose to do with the life we've been given.

© 2007 Fern Horst

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