Daniel 3:12-25 (New International Version)from www.biblegateway.com
12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up."
13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?"
They replied, "Certainly, O king."
25 He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."
Why do we have to go through crisis? When we try to reach out to non-Christians, this is the most common question they ask. Why do good people suffer but bad people seems to enjoy themselves so much. Or, because of the recent events, why do innocent children die in the Sichuan earthquake when God in His infinite power can stop earthquakes? Why? Why? Why?
Pastor highlighted 3 points:
1) We go through crisis so that you will become strong.
Jeremiah 18:3-6
Do you know how a potter strengthen the claypot he had fashioned with his hands? He will put it into the furnace through the fire to make it strong.
Reflect: Is what you are going through now will make you stronger?
2) Crisis Will make us mature.
Life is always a continuous joke: Whatever you desire, you will face the exact opposite.
I blogged before about the movie Evan Almighty, that his wife prayed for a happy & united family but God did not send her a ready-to-go family, but made the entire family work together to learn about unity.
In this instance, it is the same theory. If you want to be patient, God will definitely send you slow colleagues or friends just to see how you will react and learn to be patient. Teaching you how to fish, He is.
Another very good example of a very mature and positive Christian in the Bible is Paul. He was stoned, hated, cursed and was, in the end, crucified upside down for his faith but he was always so positive and considered it a pure joy when faced with these crisis. Acts 14:19-22
Talk about being cheerful 24/7
3) God wants to manifest His glory through you by the tribulations.
Daniel 3:25 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego's crisis changed how Nebuchadnezzar praised God. In the end, Nebuchadnezzar was like 'Oh my God! Their God saved them! Wow! Their God is so powerful man!!'
Only when you go through crisis will your countenance change. And people can see something bad has happened to you, but you got through it ok. We are talking about tenacity here. Not 3-minute enthusiasms.
How do you go through your crisis today?
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