Jun 23, 2020
By Dennis Coleman
Odd. Strange. They call it, “The new normal,” but a pandemic and stay at home orders are anything but normal. I’ve obeyed the order from the government, as I suspect most, if not all, of you have done as well. I’ve pretty much only left my property to buy groceries, wearing my bandana mask as I go. I did sneak out once to replace the TV in our family room, ordering it first and doing in-store pickup (avoiding a very long line at Sam’s Club). I’ve washed my hands so often that I think I’m getting some sort of dry skin burn. We’ve done everything and yet, COVID-19 still found a way to hit close to home.
Because of health issues, my 92-year-old grandma has been in a nursing home for the last few years. A few days ago my dad sent a message saying the nursing home was sending grandma to the hospital with symptoms of COVID-19. Later the test came back positive. Before we could really process that news, grandma passed away. Adding insult to injury, because of “stay at home,” no one from the family was there with her. None of us got to say goodbye.
We prayed before her death, but it was her time. As I mourn I hear an echo: a question I’ve heard time and again. It is a good question, one for which I do not know the answer. I wonder if many earth dwellers (if any earth dwellers) know the answer. It’s a powerful question, one asked by many and given as a reason to reject the faith. I’ve even heard it asked by some who at one time professed faith but turned their back because they couldn’t find the answers they wanted. The question? “Why didn’t God save ____________ when I prayed for him/her?”
“O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 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 3:16-18 (NKJV)
This is an amazing and well-known statement of faith by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. I want to focus on the last sentence. While they trusted God to deliver them out of the king’s hands, they declared that they would not turn away from God even if He chose not to act. Even if God had allowed them to suffer in the flames, they would not have let go of their faith. They don’t tell us why they refused to leave their faith, even in the face of the flames—but based on what we know, I think we can come to at least three conclusions.
1. They loved and feared God more than they feared Nebuchadnezzar or his furnace.
The Book of Daniel shows that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were devoted to God from very early on in the captivity, and likely were even before. What drove this devotion? Based on what we know of the people of God in the Bible, they likely were driven by some combination of love, fear, and respect. They had seen God’s faithfulness, choosing Him over the riches of the king’s table from day one. Nebuchadnezzar wanted to be the focus of everyone’s love and devotion. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego chose God and the furnace instead.
2. They knew that the alternatives bring empty defilement.
We are first introduced to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they, along with Daniel, refused food from the king’s table. I suspect Nebuchadnezzar’s chefs were some of the best in the land, offering a large selection of very tasty foods. But Daniel and our three heroes said, “Thanks but no thanks.” They asked for a vegetarian diet where they would not have to defile themselves with foods that violated their dietary requirements. The three valued the knowledge and skill given by God (Daniel 1:17) more than the empty calories of the king’s food. From this they learned that the rewards of obedience to God are more valuable than the empty promises offered by the world.
3. Living for God’s glory was more important than their own lives.
At its core this was the choice given to these young men: will you live to honor God as your LORD or is the big “I” your lord? Is it more important that “I” live or that God’s will be done? Like it or not, when we say that we can no longer follow God because we think He didn’t answer some prayer, we are saying that God must not exist if He doesn’t do what “I” want Him to do. These men from Israel understood that this is not how it works. Thus, they would worship God and no one else, even if doing so cost them their lives.
We prayed for God to heal my grandma. He called her home instead, healing her not just from COVID-19 but from her other ailments as well. You may have had (or likely will have) prayers where you don’t like how God answers. When it happens you will feel disappointed or sad or maybe even angry. Naturally you will wonder why God chose something different from what you would have chosen. When that happens
remember one very important fact: God is not fake just because “I” can’t tell Him what to do.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were convinced of certain truths long before Nebuchadnezzar began construction on his statue. They had already decided that nothing, not food (Daniel 1) nor threat of death (Daniel 3), would come between them and their Lord. This is not a spur-of-the-moment decision. This is a conviction that comes as a result of spending time meditating on Scripture, time spent in praying to God and time spent worshipping our Lord. I believe it also takes time spent prayerfully examining your own heart; honestly asking yourself what you believe and how well you know God.
Do you really believe that God loves you and was motivated by love to send His only begotten Son (John 3:16)? Do you know that nothing can separate you from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39)? Do you know God well enough that you know this is true even when the world around you (or even your own heart) tells you otherwise? Do you know God well enough that you trust that His every decision is just and right even when you don’t understand (Proverbs 3:5-6)? Do you know God well enough that even when you doubt Him your first move is towards and not away from God?
That’s a tough call isn’t it? We’d all like to think we are there: at that point where nothing can shake our faith. For those who are there, prayerfully make sure God agrees with you. For those of us who aren’t there, what are you going to do about it? Don’t wait for the fiery furnace to make your decision.
Thus says the LORD:
“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the LORD,
exercising lovingkindness, judgment
and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the LORD.
—Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NKJV)
