“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer you in this matter. If it 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 unto you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18).

We sometimes read through this section pretty quickly because we know that the three men were thrown into the furnace and that the Lord Jesus Himself came and protected them and everything turned out great. We close our Bibles and head out the door and think little about it again. Let’s stop right where we are. Think of these three young men. Kidnapped from their homeland, these young men had already experienced a great deal of hardship and tragedy in their lives. When offered the chance to bow down and worship the pagan image, they answered, “We don’t need time to think about this, your Majesty! Our God is able to deliver us, we know. But if He doesn’t deliver us and we die, then we will still not bow down and worship your gods, nor the golden image which you have set up.” Their faith cost them something. I am not sure I have ever experienced more than being laughed at. Recently Christians in a chapel service in Kenya were separated from Muslims and killed instantly by Islamic terrorists. In many other places Christians are paying dearly for their testimony. Here in our own beloved country, the tide is surely shifting away from Biblical morality, and some believers are beginning to pay a price for their faith. May we today be of great cheer and empowerment, realizing that we belong to the same God as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He will give us the same courage.

For today: May our backbones be filled with courage and our hearts filled with compassion as we live for Christ right now.