Today I remember the great words spoken by Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego when Nebuchadnezzar was about to throw them into the fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to the image of the golden god.
In Daniel 3:16-18, we read the famous lines: “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’.”
But even if he does not. . .
I’ve been thinking so much about proclaiming the goodness of God and His immutable character traits that cannot be defined or explained in light of our circumstances. Immutable, if you remember, means unchanging and unable to be changed. When I evaluate God’s character by whether or not He behaves in the ways I’m hoping or expect, I fall into dangerous ways of thinking. God is good and right at all times, so far above my understanding of what’s happening around me.
Sometimes life offers great opportunities to practice this truth. God is still the God we worship and serve at all times, whether He does what we want or not.
Finally, I love how the three friends say, “We do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.” I like that we don’t have to make a defense of our circumstances to anyone. We don’t need to interpret them or explain them. God is able to do this or that, but even if He does not, He’s still the same God. I will trust Him and bow down to Him alone.