Oct 27 2024 3 mins 14
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Daniel 3:16-18
Courageous to Witness
It’s hard to look the king in the eye and say, “Here I stand.”
It was hard for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They had already been through so much. They had witnessed the destruction of their homes and endured exile to a foreign land a thousand miles away. Yet the Lord had richly blessed them, or so it seemed until they stood up for their faith. When the king had a gold image of himself ninety feet tall and nine feet wide built to make the people prove their patriotic loyalty to him, those three young men refused to bow down to anyone except the true God.
They stood firm when the king howled with rage. They trusted in God’s ability to deliver them, even through death. They stood firm because they knew their Savior-God. He remained faithful to them through terrible times and would never let them down.
Would we be able to stand firm and courageous to witness in the face of hostile opposition? By nature, we would fail. Our sinful hearts are too quick to give in.
How, then, will we stand firm? We look to the One who has already saved us. We find confidence in the God who delivers us from evil in this life or the life to come. We find confidence in the Savior who has already overcome this hostile world for us. By faith, we can courageously confess our loyalty to Christ’s holy name because he is the God who has saved us from sin and death. He is the only true God, and we will only serve him.
Prayer:
O Lord, in the face of pressure and opposition, even persecution, help me to stand firm and be your witnesses. Remove fear from my heart and make me bold to confess that you alone are the true God and my only Savior. Amen.
