Taller and stronger

"(16) Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. (17) If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. (18) But even if He doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up."   Daniel 3:16-18. NLT

Nebuchadnezzar, had erected a massive gold statue and he had ordered that everyone would bow down to it. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused and for this, they were thrown into a blazing furnace. They belonged to God and Him only and nothing, absolutely nothing would make them worship any false gods.

It's interesting and quite exciting how they said this to Nebuchadnezzar. They were not rude but showed him total respect. However, they were rock solid in their decision that they would not bow down to the statue. 

There were three levels of faith that they mentioned:

OUR GOD IS ABLE
AND HE WILL
BUT IF NOT, WE'LL STILL TRUST IN HIM

God is not developing escape artists and Houdini's. He is creating overcomers! CS Lewis in his book, The Screwtape letters, tells of Satan warning one of his junior demons: 

"We are never in greater danger than when they look around and all traces have God have forsaken them; yet they still choose to obey Him."   CS Lewis

A few years ago, I watched a film that Open Doors had made. It was set in China and showed all of the suffering that was taking place because the people were Christians. They were beaten, some were killed and anyone who survived this, had to live on very small supplies of rice and just have the clothes they were wearing. It was awful but factual. One of the highlights for me, one that I have never forgotten, was when one of them said to a guard, just before his death, 'You can hack us down, but just like the bamboo, we will grow taller and stronger as each day goes by.'

What a testimony. Many of us have never been in such a situation as this, but we may have suffered minor similarities in our day to day lives, because of our faith. Our faith may have cost us our families, our jobs and our friends. For some, it may have cost the break up of a marriage. To follow Jesus, there is always a price to pay. But:

'Like the bamboo, we will grow taller and stronger as each day goes by'
SO, NEVER, EVER GIVE UP

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com