Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us . . . . But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods. —Daniel 3:17-18
These are the words spoken by the Three young men who refused to treat their king as a god which ended up walking around inside a furnace (Dan. 3:21-25). The furnace was so hot that the person in charge of heating it up died from the heat (v.22), but these three young men remained unhurt.What a story it is.
The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego could have ended in their violent deaths for they also knew very well about it. But It ended with God delivering them unhurt. Many stories don’t end that way. For example a missionary or a simple believer is captured by a lawless gang, and in spite of many prayers he is killed. Why this happens? Is not God “in the furnace they are in with them”?
It is difficult to reason it out and find an answer. We may not be in a furnace, but we may be in an uncomfortable, even a hopeless spot. The question is when we are not delivered out of it,” is God still God to us? Or do we feel neglected because God has not come through as we wanted.
This story makes us to ponder. Are we willing to serve God even if we get no result or Will we say, “The God whom we serve is able to deliver us; even if it's not, we refuse to serve other gods”?
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