Like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
or the Hebrews being guided across the dry land surrounded by walls of water,
or many other miracles God showed the people long ago.
But as a child, I didn't distinguish between what God had accomplished in the Old Testament,
and the miracles that Jesus did wherever he traveled.
I am not even sure if I understood that God and Jesus were doing the same thing in people's lives.
I didn't realize He is in the remodeling business.
(Do you think it is a coincidence that Jesus was a carpenter's son?)
God takes the broken and tired, the weak,
the helpless and the hopeless, and creates something new.
So it goes without saying, that I carried the misconception for years,
of how God really can work in people, still today.
Take the story of the three young men and the fiery furnace.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were displaced from their own country
and forced to serve a king they did not have reason to.
These three guys didn't grow up there, being taken away from their families.
They didn't want to be there, and they couldn't change their circumstances.
They could have been a rebellious crew and tried to escape, or stir up trouble to get out of there.
They could have gone along with the rest of the crowd, and do everything they were told,
becoming just another slave to do the master's bidding.
But they had faith in a God of possibilities.
They had seen how He had protected their friend Daniel,
when the king demanded all the young men to eat his rich, gravy laden
sacrificial foods and sickenly sugary sweets.
He asked if he and his friends could be allowed to eat only fresh,
healthy vegetables for a 10 day trial period.
The guards were afraid the king would have their heads on a platter for this.
Surprise! In just a week and a half, Daniel and the other boys,
were stronger and healthier than any men in the kingdom!
Talk about a health food success story!!
These three young men had seen how God used Daniel to guide the king in many areas,
when his own "wise men" couldn't give any answers.
They saw how the God of the Hebrew nation was watching over them, and bringing them many opportunities to be of use in a land unfamiliar and not of their choice.
Then, just when you thought these young men were safe as honored members of the court;
the king once again makes more strange and cruel demands.
(Just a thought, maybe he was bipolar?)
King Nebuchadnezzar thinks of a plan to build a huge statue of himself
and wants everyone to worship it.
(Or, he could be very vain and stubborn...)
One thing is for sure, he wasn't original.
He had dreamed of these statues and wanted to make sure his was the largest.
(Vain? Check. Stubborn? Check. Lesson Coming? Check and Check.)
The rule was: Bow down and worship my wonderful likeness,
or I will personally see you burn in my flaming hot, not-so-mini-pizza bake oven.
WOW. Nice guy.
But seriously, he was not fooling around here.
He had the kingdom's best orchestra waiting in the wings to play the theme song while every single person within his realm stood gazing at this golden waste of space.
At the very first note played by the band, they were all expected to fall flat on their faces,
giving honor and glory to their king.
I am sure most of them fell on their faces in fright, if nothing else.
Once again, the boys of Daniel's band let their faith shine brighter than any fear.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego chose not to listen to their king.
They knew in their hearts that it was not right to bow to a human.
No one deserves that much power, only God alone.
They really didn't know what the outcome would be.
But they had already been through so much that wasn't their plan,
and God had helped them so far.
The king gave them a second chance to change their minds and follow orders.
(He kind of rather liked the fellas)
But still, they relented.
Now he was furious.
..."How dare you reject my generousity?"
..."O King, we will honor you, but we will not bow down to you.
We trust our God to rescue us from the fire.
But even if He leaves us there, He is still God and we can not bow down to any other."
..."OK. But I told you I must toss you in the furnace."
The king is so angry he commands the soldiers to make the fire even hotter than ever.
You can almost hear King Nebuchadnezzar savagely shouting orders to the men,
knocking the people over in his attempt to toss more wood their way
because they weren't fast enough for him.
But then, you can hear him sputtering....mouth aghast and arms flailing in the air...
..."Wh,wh,wha-at is happening?!?"
..."My men are dying at the mouth of the furnace!! You, there! Get more wood!!"
Silence falls, as he slowly realizes all his men are sprawled at his feet, useless.
..."Somebody, sssome-body, come quickly! Am I seeing what I think I am seeing?"
The king is asking his advisors if there is really men walking among the flames.
..."Didn't I only have three men tossed inside for their insolence?"
..."Yes, Your Most Excellency. There were indeed three who violated your ruling."
..."But there are four, I see. Four men, and one of them has the appearance of a God!
Not only that, they aren't even tied up! They are walking around as if out for a stroll?
Take them out! Take them out, I say. I must see what this is all about!"
If you've ever been to Sunday School, you know this story well.
The three men were taken out of the fire, completely unharmed and smoke-free.
The king realized the God he saw in the flames,
was protecting His people and showing His goodness and mercy to the whole kingdom.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were once more given a place of favor in the kingdom.
The king made a decree for all the people to pay homage to their God.
TRULY a God of miracles.
Those men did not know how it was going to turn out.
They knew they had to make a choice.
They trusted in the only thing that was always sure.
They trusted God to safely take care of them, no matter what that looked like.
Can I say that I would have that much trust?
When I am at my lowest point, and none of the choices look very promising;
I must remember the story of the fiery furnace
and the trust those three young men put in the God who never fails,
Even if it looks like failure.
How big is your faith in the God of possibilities?
Like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego we can't control our circumstances;
But we can trust in the One who is in complete control.
Even if it looks like failure.
God's plan is bigger and so much better than mine.
Remember - God is in the remodeling business.
I didn't write my story with this song in mind,
but it fits so perfectly,
I had to include the song by MercyMe, and the story behind the song, also.
MercyMe – Even If (Testimony): Story About Type 1 Diabetes
MercyMe - Even If (Official Lyric Video)
Stories from my journey
written by: Sue Leerhoff
Brick by Brick
Stories from my journey
written by: Sue Leerhoff
Brick by Brick
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