Have you ever read the book of Daniel? I am sure you have heard the story of the lion’s den, and of his friends: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were thrown into the fiery furnace.
God put Daniel in the Lion’s den. He first allowed Daniel and his people to be carried off into exile by a pagan people. Nebuchadnezzar, their king, thought he was ultimately in control, but our sovereign God placed Daniel and his faithful friends into the fiery furnace. This was not the first time He sovereignly chose to put a faithful and obedient follower into a sticky, uncomfortable situation (to say the least!).
Was this punishment? Had Daniel done anything to deserve to fear being eaten by lions or burned alive? Nope! Actually, the Bible tells us that he chose to follow God’s commands even when faced with punishment of death for following God.
Let me give you a brief overview of the story, to set up the scene. God’s people were warned about the consequences of their sinful practices through the prophet Jeremiah. They were told if they didn’t follow God’s commands that He would hand them over to their enemies. As promised, in comes Babylon under king Nebuchadnezzar’s rule, ransacks Jerusalem and destroys the temple.
Daniel and all of his young friends are carried off into the pagan culture of Babylon. If you were deemed smart and handsome enough, you were taken to learn the language and the literature of Babylon for three years. We can assume Daniel and the three met these requirements. The Babylonian eunuch in charge of them even changed all of their Jewish names, into relevant cultural names, stripping them of their former identity. Talk about culture shock!
Many of the pagan practices went against what God commanded, including the food that the king gave these “students” to eat. Daniel refused to defile himself, and chose obedience rather than compliance. The Lord gave him favor with those in authority over him because of his obedience. At the end of the three years of “schooling” the four boys stood out from all the others when they were brought before King Nebuchadnezzar. The Bible says they were questioned by the king, and found to be 10 times better than ALL of the magicians and enchanters in the whole kingdom!
Then the king has a dream. He is wise enough to know that he is being fed malarkey by the magicians and enchanters. So he makes it clear that not only are they going to interpret his dream, BUT they are also going to tell him WHAT he dreamed about. Shockingly, the magic workers weren’t able to meet his demands. 😉
The king, being rashly infuriated, decided to kill ALL the wise men in the entire kingdom. All the magicians, all the enchanters, all the wise guys, and all of these exiles they have appropriately educated – including Daniel and the three friends. Upon hearing the news of their death sentence, Daniel tells the three to seek mercy from the Lord, so that they may solve the king’s mystery dream and have their lives spared. Talk about outmatched!
God sent the answer to Daniel in a dream, and Daniel praises Him for answering his prayers! Then Daniel begs those in authority to take him to the king so that all the wise men may be spared. Daniel goes before the king, tells him exactly what he dreamed about and they interpret it all accurately. He also revels that God is the one who has made the dream known to the kind. The king is like, whoa! Surely your God is THE God of gods and Lord of kings! Daniel and his friends are then all promoted to ruling positions.
This pattern continues throughout the entire story. The men are faced with pagan practices and are supposed to disobey God’s commands in order to participate, or face dire consequences. They can bow to a large golden idol, or face being burned alive in a blazing furnace. Daniel can pray only to the king, or be thrown into the Lion’s den. They were obedient to the Lord, and He was with them in the mist of the trial (literally stood with them in the middle of the blaze and sent an angel to close the moths of the lions!) and he ultimately, miraculously spared them, bringing glory to Himself.
…for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way. -Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 3:29)
Did you catch that? He brought Daniel to the trial, stood with him through the time of trouble, and used the obedience of His servant to bring glory to Himself! God was able to revel Himself to the unbelievers who were worshiping idols because of these trials!
If the trial had never occurred, no one would have seen the fourth man in the fire. No one would have known that the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob could shut the mouths of ravenous lions. Because of the trial, we know who our God is!
Daniel’s story gives me a lot of hope! Although we will not likely know the fear of being eaten alive by a den filled with hungry lions or being thrown into a blazing furnace, God stands with us through our own trials. He stands in cold courtrooms, and stays beside you in the ER. He comforts you as you comfort your sick child. He is a refuge when everything else falls apart.
The trials you walk through are not meaningless, random occurrences. God, who is fully in control and loves you in ways we cannot fathom, has allowed you to come to whatever situation you are in. He will use this trial to show his remarkable glory to those around you, if you surrender to Him in obedience.
God, who is fully in control and loves you in ways we cannot fathom, has allowed you to come to whatever situation you are in.
Take heart, friend! Whatever situation you are in that finds you completely outmatched will be used for your good. God knows what you need, even though we don’t fully understand what He is up to sometimes. (Read More Here!!)
Maybe this is why James said:
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1: 2-4)
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Tiffany
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