Today’s Devotion
Topic: Faith Worth Having
Text: Daniel 3: 24- 30
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” 25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire,
27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent His angel and rescued His servants! They trusted in Him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon. Amen
This cannot be happening! Is that king Nebuchadnezzar praising the God of Heaven? Isn’t he the same person who, moments ago, declared himself god and decreed that all should worship his statue? What has changed?
The faith of three Hebrew men seems to have turned the king’s heart around within seconds. They made a decision to stand for God, even to the point of death. The king was furious that they wouldn’t bow to His image. He ordered that they be bound and cast into a furnace 7 times hotter.
But they still wouldn’t bow. In the heat of the furnace where they were to die, one with the likeness of the son of God was seen with them. He kept the three men at air-condition temperature. They just paced about in the fire till they were called out, unscratched. Halleluyah!
Now the once proud king Nebuchadnezzar is sober. He is even going to punish anyone who speaks against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. What a way to honour God! These men by their uncompromising faith moved God to distinguish Himself one more time for all to see and revere.
Beloved, to confess faith in God is one thing and to be steadfast in that faith is another. Life presents us with situations that require a little more than the mere confession of faith. These circumstances present to us everything contrary to what our faith confession is and this is where we must live the talk until our faith yields supernatural results for all to see.
Uncompromising faith is not easy to live. It comes from a deep understanding of the greatness and sovereignty of God. In the face of adversity, it seems like the most unwise position to take. But when you persist, it reveals through you and demonstrates to all, a beautiful part of heaven you have never known.
When you have been steadfast in faith, even through fire, many easily submit to God on account of your testimony. But where you keep compromising or running from the furnace of life because you dread the heat; the demonstration of God’s mighty power is not fully manifested in your life, making it difficult for others to see the miraculous displayed in your life to yield to God.
The “Nebuchadnezzars” in your life (could be your boss, supervisor, spouse, lecturer and colleagues), may never fear God or have regard for man until they see your uncompromising faith produce supernatural results.
Meditate on this word and begin to pray. Pray that your faith might increase through the study of God’s word. Remember, the uncompromising faith of the righteous always moves God to do the miraculous.
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