One of my favorite stories in the Bible.
Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-nego are sentenced to the fiery furnace as punishment for not worshipping the golden statue of Nebby. (I guess he figured that if he was the head of gold, he could change the story and make himself the whole body of gold - that's another post.)
The best part is in verses 16-18 where they display their absolute trust in God to deliver them. Yet it is followed by, "But if not..." Don't you love the kind of faith that completely trusts God to deliver us, yet still trusts Him when He doesn't appear to be coming to our rescue. Faith that says I trust you even if... that says circumstances are not the basis of my trust, You are. They trusted God because they knew Him. Whether they were thrown into the fire or not, they knew God was still God.
What amazing faith!
And how were they rewarded? Jesus himself went into the fire with them. BEAUTIFUL! Rather than avoid the fire, they encountered Jesus in a most real and personal fashion. Isn't that exactly what he wants for us? Real encounters, not just some superficial relationship with a faith that's never been tested.
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