Unyielding Trust

Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Mobil Web Browser, Siri, Google Plus, Youtube, Itunes, Google Play, Craig’s List, Google Images, Skype, Face Time - just to name a few.  Many of us have these aps and more right at our finger tips. When we turn on the T.V., or watch HULU on our computers, we are bombarded with ads seeking to buy our attention and our allegiance.  Many of these apps and sources of media are filled with great content.  I personally enjoy having many of these resources available anytime I want.  They are great and powerful tools.  

While it may seem cliché to say it, I’ll quote Uncle Been: “with great power comes great responsibility.”  In this case, the great responsibility we have is to stand firm in our convictions, amidst a flood of persuasive voices.   I think as the power of the internet and the accessibility/influence of media become more and more available, the propensity of following the mindset of this world and the Prince of this world becomes more accepted as “normal”.  I mean come on; it is not easy to be radically different than our culture, even “rebels” like to fit in to the rebellious crowd. 

As Christians living in a world that is very different from heaven, we are constantly challenged in our Christian principles or “worldview”.  Sometimes these challenges are blatant, such as peer pressure from your friends to do drugs, or to have sex before you’re married.  However, I believe the more deceptive and confusing challenges are the “mild” ones that come from our own peers, maybe even Christian peers.  Lines that were at one point “black and white” can become blurred to grey.  And the choice to compromise or not compromise becomes more difficult because we are left questioning what is even right and wrong.

Let’s look at the story in the book of Daniel about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.  I was recently reading through Daniel, and I was amazed by the gumption both Daniel and his three friends have in this book, and I was also amazed by the pleasure God obviously takes in their actions.  (Side note: do you ever find yourself viewing the Bible through the lens of a fairy tale and not thinking about the actual historical event?  I know to my disadvantage I do this sometimes - when reading Daniel and the Lion’s Den the picture I get in my head is that of a cartoon I watched when I was a kid.)  In Daniel chapter 3, we come to this exciting story – quite a bit more exciting for the reader than Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.  The story goes like this: King Nebuchadnezzar made a huge golden statue of himself, and told all the people in his kingdom to bow down and worship before it when a special song began to play.  If anyone didn’t bow they were to be burned alive (ouch).  As you may know, when the musicians began to toot their horns everyone bowed down and worshiped the golden image except for good old Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.  When King Nebuchadnezzar heard of their defiance, he called them before him and gave them a second chance to bow or die.

Now at this point, if I think about it, I am sure that the peer pressure and fear of death were pressing in on our three friends.  I mean, can you imagine?!  I can only speculate that they were not the only Jewish people in the crowd.  I am sure they had other country-men around them saying things like, “come on guys! Just kneel down, get back up and go through the motions.  Don’t worry about it!  You are going to make it worse for all of us.  Why do you have to be so strict?  God understands that this is a tough spot; certainly God does not want you to lose your life.  Besides, you have a high rank, and if you stay alive, you will have more ability to influence the king and the people for God.  If you think this does displease God, just go home and ask him to forgive you.  What’s the big deal?”

What happens next is what makes this story so remarkable.  The three men reverently feared God and his word, “worship idols, and you will die” (Ex. 20, Ezekiel 5:1-12) more than the king’s command “worship this image or die” (Dan. 3:13-18).  They did not bow down and give into the peer pressure, they trusted in God, they angered the king, and they were thrown into the fire.  Humanly this is where the story should end. But God, in his great power and love rescued them from the furnace and miraculously saved their lives (Dan. 3:19-17).  What a powerful story!

I want that kind of steadfast faith in God, don’t you?  This story makes me want to trust God, and fear Him more than I fear people.  In the midst of such a strong and persuasive call by the worldly influences around us to compromise, let us remember the story of these three young men, who stood up when the rest of the world followed the crowd and bowed their knee.  As we see in this story, their stand was pleasing to God (see also Phil. 1:27-30).

 Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 



~Trev

Here is a song about our three friends.  Check it out here:  Burn Us Up by Shane and Shane