Boldness

From Unshaken on Youversion

Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this 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 to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3:8‭-‬18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

What do we do when we are faced with an adversity that is fueled by fear and backed by the majority? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were faced with a situation where if they did not worship King Nebuchadnezzar, they would be thrown into a fiery furnace. They chose to respond with a boldness that would honor the God that they served. When they were thrown into the fire, a mysterious fourth man was seen with them. When the king saw this, he told them to come out, and they walked out without a mark on their bodies. 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew that they did not need to defend themselves, because they had a holy confidence in the Lord. But even if God did not rescue them, they still resolved not to worship any idols. And how did God respond? He showed up in the midst of the fiery furnace! God stood with them and protected them before the eyes of the king.  

How could they possess such confidence and boldness? Were they prepared for this moment? Well, the evidence begins in the first chapter with their unwillingness to waiver when put to the test. Each step of obedience led to greater faith and trust in God towards the next crossroad. So, when your time of testing comes, will you remain faithful, or will you bend?

Reflection Questions:

1. What does it look like for you to boldly live counter-culturally?