Facing the Lions

     Most of you have probably at one time or other heard the story of Daniel in the lions den. He had three friends-- Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego who have quite a story too. They loved and served God with all of their heart. The king that ruled at the time was evil; he wanted people to bow down and worship a statue he had made of himself. Daniel's friends, however refused to worship the statue. This was reported to the king, and he called Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego into his presence. He told them, "But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?" (Daniel 3:15)
     Shadrach and his friends told the king, "If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. BUT IF NOT let it be known to you, O king, that we DO NOT serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up." (Daniel 3: 17-18, emphasis mine.)
     Can you imagine? Picture three people who work for the king rejecting what he wants! Can't you see the king turning redder and redder with rage as these young men spoke to him without fear or repentance? As soon as they were done speaking, he commanded that the furnace be heated SEVEN TIMES HOTTER THAN NORMAL. This was done quickly, of course. Then, Nebuchadnezzar, the king, ordered some of his mighty men to bind the three and put them in the furnace. (Sidenote: Why would Nebuchadnezzar order mighty men to tie up the three? Was it because of the heat, or his fear? Please share your thoughts with me!:) The mighty men took them to the furnace and threw them in. And guess what? The mighty men were killed because of the heat! How did the three friends make out? Well, lets look at verse 24 and 25 to see what happens.
     Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king."
"Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."
     The king could hardly believe his eyes! He went close to the fire to call them out, and told them that a decree would be made that anyone who did not worship their God would die.
     In the end, there are a few things we can learn from this story. (1)Standing up for God will result in blessing; whether evident at the moment or not; (2) we need to serve the One True God, and not whatever comes our way; and (3) God will protect and be with those who love Him. These three young men had a lot of faith, trust, and belief in God. They knew that He would be with them no matter whether He showed Himself at the moment or not. Faith goes a long way. Will you trust Him and give Him yours?

Used NKJV version.