Standing Under
Intense Pressure
Around 605 B.C., King Nebuchadnezzar had a huge golden statue made and
erected in Babylon.
He then commanded that all people should fall down and worship the statue when
the signal was given. Most everyone did this, since the consequences for
refusing were to be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.
There were three
men, however, that refused to bow to the golden statue because of their loyalty
to the Lord God of Israel.
Their names were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The king was furious when he
learned of their defiance of the decree, and called the three to appear before
him. Then, he gave them one last chance to bow before the statue, reminding
them of the fate awaiting them if they refused, and pompously flaunting his power by
asking them what god could possibly save them from a fiery furnace.
Have you ever been faced with death, loss of a job, loss of a love one,
divorce, calamity or living in distress? I bring you good news today. Just as
the three Hebrew men were faced with an eternal sentence of death, many of us
are in the same situation and circumstances. No this is not the good news but keep reading......
Cast into prison for not bowing down to the King’s god and the King’s
demand, left the three Hebrew men with only one option and that option was to
continue believing that the living God of Israel would came to their
defense. Because of their disobedience to his orders, the King ordered the heat to the furnace be turned up seven times
more than usual.
Do you feel like you are under
fire? Are you bombarded with money issues, downsizing on your job, children rebelling, conflicts with family, turmoil everywhere, drama with
the ex, pressure from coworkers, or challenges in ministry? Whatever the case
may be, you find yourself in the furnace of affliction. You know the old saying
if it ain’t one thing it’s another.
Just as the King offered the three Hebrew men
another opportunity to bow down, you will be given another opportunity to
either stand for what you believe or give way to the demands of the oppressor.
What will you do? Here is what the King said “Now if ye be ready that at what
time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and
dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have
made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the
midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you
out of my hands?
For the people of God there can
not be any compromise. We must absolutely without doubt stand up for
righteousness and defend the Gospel. Paul put like this: “For I am not ashamed
of the Gospel (good news) of Christ, for it is God's power working unto
salvation [for deliverance from eternal death] to everyone who believes with a
personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance, to the Jew first
and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)
Whatever situation you find yourself
facing, you have the ability to stand and endure.
“Then Nebuchadnezzar the king [saw and] was
astounded, and he jumped up and said to his counselors, Did we not cast three
men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered, True, O king.” (Daniel
3:24)
Know this that the enemy is watching you to see if
you are going to crumble and buckle under the difficulty. He’s looking to see
if you can handle the heat and how you are going to respond. He is hoping you
die under the pressure. The enemy is trying to desperately break your spirit.
He’s hoping you give up, and doubt what God is going to do.
“He answered, Behold, I see four men loose,
walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt! And the form of the
fourth is like a son of the gods!” (Daniel 3:25)
God is ready to loose you from the hand of the
enemy; from darkness to light; loose you from those grave clothes; loose you
from sin; loose you from everything that binds you. Loose the shackles, chains,
restraints. As long as God is with you, you will walk through every adversity,
trial, test, tribulation, hardship, attack, setback and so forth.
The enemy
must get his grip off you. David said it like this:
Yeah, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are
with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Ps 23:1)
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, blessed be the God of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Who has sent His angel and delivered His
servants who believed in, trusted in, and relied on Him! And they set aside the
king's command and yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god
except their own God. (Daniel 3:28)
If you stand firm in the midst of the
fire, God will promote you! We may not like the place that we are in, it might
be rough, and tight, everything is coming at you, and the test might have
intensified but hold your position, hold your ground, stand firm for you shall
see the salvation of the Lord.
The Author: Paulette Harper
