Scripture — Daniel 3:15-18 (NKJV)

“Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery. . . and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

Devotion

Have you ever heard anyone say, “That person thinks they are large and in charge”?—a statement expressed as they encounter an individual who presents themselves as haughty, arrogant, and loud while boastfully drawing attention to themselves. Today we see King Nebuchadnezzar displaying his character and we don’t get the impression he was a humble king. Rather he was quite full of himself and promoted much attention to himself. He declared in Daniel 3:15 “And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”

This story reveals to us how sometimes our faith can be tested when we are faced with the decision to remain true to God’s Word or fall into compromise.

In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego are tested by King Nebuchadnezzar. Their fidelity and commitment to God are put under severe pressure. Here is the king full of authority and power going against the law of Moses, as he not only puts the Hebrew men to the test but indirectly Almighty God as well. Nebuchadnezzar gives them an ultimatum: either bow before the golden calf or experience the blazing fire furnace. He’s not convinced any other thing or other person could be more powerful than himself. But is this true?

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego deliver a courageous comeback. If God does not deliver them, they will remain faithful to Him regardless, as they have resolved that God IS a deliverer! Those 3 powerful words, “but if not…” were declarations due to past experiences—how they heard God worked in the past for Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and other servants of God. All those stories built their faith and they were determined to believe God would deliver them in this situation as well.

Have we ever been faced with such challenges of compromise? For example, if we are working in a financial institution, pressure could be applied to commit fraud.  Or if we are working in the music industry, we could be pressured to compromise with profanity and behavior in songs or music videos that do not reflect Christian principles—yet promise to shoot our career to the top. Today, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego display to us the benefits of not compromising.

During life’s challenging times when we are faced with conflict, and even with confrontation to go against God’s Word or compromise our beliefs, we can miss an opportunity to see God at work in amazing ways. The enemy may try to play with our minds, asking if God still does miracles in 2024. The answer is a resounding yes!

God wants us to have the same confidence as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego to face our fears, face our employers, face anyone or anything that would test God’s ability and our relationship with the Lord—confidently staying true to God’s Word, regardless of the situation, proving God as a God of miracles.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project’s online commentary. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: In Exile at Babylon U. (Daniel 1).

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