A King who had seen the raw power of
God at work through the life of Daniel relapsed into a state of vanity and
irreverence for God. I am talking about none other than Nebuchadnezzar the King
of Babylon. He had earlier had a dream and he needed someone not just to
interpret the dream but relay the dream just as he had it. Naturally, it is
impossible for one to relay a dream someone else had accurately, without the
person giving you a hint. To say accurately what
another person is thinking is difficult and
almost impossible as it were , not to talk of narrating what
the person dreamt about in the most accurate
and precise manner. The Omnipotent God
of Daniel revealed the King’s dream to Daniel and that alone made the
King stand in awe of the God Daniel served. His reaction when Daniel
relayed the dream and interpreted it, is narrated in Daniel 2. 46Then King
Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that
they should present an offering and incense to him. 47The king
answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods,
the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this
secret.
For me, this is one of
the most challenging trials of faith one could ever encounter. This was death
staring at their faces; death by being thrown into a lake of fire. If you have
gotten your finger burnt in a candle or to say the least, tried to carry a very
hot pot whilst cooking without a napkin, I am sure you definitely will have an
idea of what a hot surface can do to you; the pain and discomfort that comes
with it for the next few hours. But here we are , talking about a threat of
being thrown into a furious, energized, blazing, and threatening fire
heated seven times stronger for that matter! Yet they stood their ground and
refused to renounce their faith in God!
Daniel 3:19 Then Nebuchadnezzar
was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven
times more than it was usually heated. 20And he commanded certain
mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abed-Nego, and cast theminto the burning fiery furnace. 21Then
these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their othergarments,
and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22Therefore,
because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the
flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abed-Nego. 23And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego,
fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Have you ever wondered
why God never came through for these men before they were thrown into the fire?
One would have expected that an angel would have appeared to stop them from
being thrown into it or at least quench the fire all the same. Have you ever
imagined why a Christian, sometimes, some things happen to you and you wonder
if God was asleep when such things were happening? It is apparent from this
amazing story, that God wanted to show His omnipotent power and as we know,
these stories were written for our examples that we might be followers of them
who through faith and patience inherit the promises(Hebrews 6:12)…. Halleluyah!
Daniel 3: 24 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.”
25“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.”
26Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth
of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and
come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of
the fire. 27And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the
king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose
bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were
their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on
Right in the midst of
the fire, The Almighty came through for His own! He was in-there with them as
the Fourth man! The King acknowledged the supremacy of this Most High God and
commanded that nothing evil be said about Him. He commanded that only this God
is to be served. He then promoted the three men! What was supposed to be their
downfall led to their promotion! They were thrown in bound, but the king saw
them moving around freely and untied in the midst of that fire! If that
incident didn't happen, we probably would have heard about any people called
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego!
God is the Master of repeat performances. What He
has done for one, He can do again and more gloriously. When He said in Isaiah
42: 2 that He will be with you when you pass through the fire and that the
flame will not scorch you, he means every single word of it why? He has done it
in time past and He is saying again to you today that- When you pass through the
waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall
not overflow you.When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you
Your challenge is capable of turning
you into someone to be "wondered at" . What was meant for evil for
you, will make you a superstar! Would you dare believe Him?
The Pen…..
God wants us to come to that point where we completely trust His Word irrespective of what comes our way...until we come to that point, we have not yet started on our complete Christian journey. We have to completely crucify our flesh and yield totally to the spirit. Living from inside out.
ReplyDeleteRest, Trust, Peace. Then we can deal with every disobedience when our own obedience is complete.Talking about totally yielding to him. Thank you http://thebanquethall.blogspot.com/
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