Purpose and Resolve

Dan. 3:16-18

"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."

Such resolve and purpose! First Daniel and his friends purpose not to eat the king's food rejecting the king's attempt to assimilate them into the Babylonian culture. Then Daniel interprets a dream that no other wise man could all the while giving glory and praise only to God. The result: their advancement in the kingdom. On the heels of all this, Nebuchadnezzar, filled with his own glory and purpose, builds an image that all must worship. Some of the displaced and humiliated wise men report Daniel's friends for refusing to worship the image. When they are brought before the king, they answer simply. Burn us for we will not worship the image! Their faith was in the God who had preserved them thus far. With unwavering resolve, they believed that God would deliver them from this dire circumstance. They were willing to stake their lives on it. Such belief and trust! Did they waver at all? As they felt the heat rush upon them, did they have any doubt?
 
Their faith proved genuine in this furnace of unbelievable and unbearable heat. Not only did God deliver them, but He sent His Son to be with them in a way that they not only experienced but that everyone who was there saw. What a witness for the One, True God! Their hair was not singed not were their clothes harmed. They did not even smell of the flames and the smoke. It was a glorious miracle! Even the heathen king declared a blessing upon God. All of this resolve came from an unwavering belief in a God who was worthy of ultimate trust. They knew God personally, and this relationship shaped their lives and actions. This is my God as well. What is my trust like? Am I unwavering in my resolve? When the furnace of my life is heated to seven times its normal heat, what is my response?
 
Father,
Keep me strong in Your grace. As the fires heat, help me keep my eyes only on You and Your Son.
In Jesus name,
Amen