Don't Break Faith With God: The Fire Walk - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) August 11, 2023

We've been talking about not breaking faith with God and learning that it can be a tricky thing. Moses and Aaron fell short, but Ezra didn't and was well rewarded. Today, we consider the Fire Walk Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego experienced. It is another example of how to speak boldly about God and stick to that knowledge of Him, despite what appears to be disastrous consequences.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were young Jewish men who'd been captured and taken to the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. They, like their peer and friend, Daniel, had walked with God even in the foreign land and the Lord made sure they'd been exalted, receiving great respect, responsibility and titles.

Yet, one day, the Babylonian king asked them - along with others - to bow down and worship a golden idol. The three men refused, as to do such would be an insult to God and His instructions to worship no idols or other gods. They didn't mince words with the king, according to Daniel 3:16-18 - 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.”

These men put their lives in God's hands and were willing to endure a blaze to make sure they did not dishonor God by breaking faith with Him. Imagine if they'd complied with the king? Keep in mind that prior to this situation, the king had learned of God's greatness through Daniel, who relied upon God for wisdom to interpret the king's dream. Thus, if they'd bowed, they'd have made God look less than He was in front of king Nebuchadnezzar and his entire court. After all, how could people who believed in the powerful God of Daniel, disobey Him? They may have also cheapened God's glory and fame if they'd tried to negotiate to do something that fell short of bowing so as to preserve their lives. Instead, they stood resolutely in their knowledge of God and even acknowledged that He had the right to save or not save them. They feared Jehovah more than they feared a man, albeit that man who was the most powerful monarch in the world at that time.

Could you or I do the same in similar circumstances? Would we staunchly refuse to do what we know would bring disrepute to our God and sully His name? You may think you have the answer and that's fine. If you don't yet have an answer, that's okay too. The key thing to take away is that when you get to a fork in the road, be mindful that you may have to choose to do the fire walk in order to preserve the glory of the God you claim to serve. Ask the Lord to give you the capacity, strength, and zeal to do so in order to not break faith with the Lord where necessary.

May the Lord help each of us to stand in our faith, in our knowledge of God Almighty, even when everything and everyone around us wants us to choose to break faith with Him. May we experience the glorious miracle these three men experienced of being visited by the fourth man in the fire and coming out of the fiery pit without any evidence of the test they'd been through. And as was the case in Nebuchadnezzar's court, may our fire walk bring great glory and praise to God, IJMN, Amen.

See you at Noon EST for fellowship. God bless you.