Standing Up For God

When God rewarded the faithfulness of the three Jewish boys by delivering them from the fiery furnace, little did they know their stand and God's actions would transform, albeit temporarily, the Babylonians' worship practices.

According to the narrative, after the boys' miraculous deliverance, "Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort" (Daniel 3:28-29, KJV). In addition, like an afterthought we learn, "Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon" (v. 30).

Have you ever wondered what transformation would take place in our homes, our schools, our churches, our businesses, our nations, if Christians everywhere stood firm on their convictions? Being a Christian can sometimes feel like swimming upstream while everybody and everything else is going downstream. It would be great if God would somehow steer us away from those situations that require having to make those seemingly tough decisions to be fair and honest; to stand up for what is right, just, and true. As societies become more secular and unashamedly opposed to absolute values of right and wrong, Christians are called upon to stay the course, to lift Jesus even higher. To sacrifice all, even one's life if necessary.

However, God does not always steer or deliver us from challenging situations. As He did with Shedrach and his friends, He allows us to walk these difficult paths to demonstrate His power and His glory in and through us. As someone so rightly puts it, "Sometimes God calms the storm. At other times, He calms the sailor. And sometimes He makes us swim." One thing we are assured of is that when He makes us swim, as the fourth man in the fiery furnace was with the boys, we are never alone.

The Jewish boys' faithfulness produced results - their deliverance, their promotion, and a change in Babylon's worship practices. What changes does God have in store when you take a stand in your sphere of influence? Do you trust Him enough to find out even if you are the only one left standing?

No Deal!

Standing before king Nebuchadnezzar and facing his wrath for their refusal to worship the image as per the instructions heralded to all (Daniel 3:4), the three Jewish boys were offered a deal that would spare them being thrown into the burning fiery furnace. To compound the severity of their non-compliance, certain Chaldeans accused them before the king of having "not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up" (v. 12, KJV).

There was no ambiguity to the deal. When they heard the sound of the music, "Now if . . . 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?" In other words, dance or die. However, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not intimidated. They knew that this was a bad deal and so "answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up" (vv. 16-18). In other words, no deal! The fiery furnace is nothing for our God to deliver us from, and even if He doesn't, we will not compromise our beliefs or turn our backs on the God we serve.

What tremendous commitment! One could argue that such commitment is lacking among some professed believers who time and time again dance to the music and worship various images in an attempt to preserve popularity, their relationships, and personal ambitions. Instead of standing firmly for Christ regardless of cost, it is often easier to compromise our beliefs and values. Who wants to be ridiculed? To be obstracized?

What we know is that after being thrown in the furnace, heated seven times more than it was initially, the boys' faith in God was rewarded and they were delivered (vv. 19-30). Miraculously, "the fire had no power [upon their bodies], nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them" (v.27). God rewarded their faithfulness and their testimony was of such that it transformed the worship practices of the Babylonians (vv. 28-29). We should never discount the power of individuals standing for Christ and what He is able to do in and through them in those difficult circumstances.

 Christians everywhere are in somewhat similar positions today. Compromise or be ridiculed? Stand for Christ or be scorned? Oh, lest I forget, we get to choose. We must choose. Deal or no deal? How do you choose?

Denied By A Friend

Jesus had warned him but it seemed he had forgotten. In the aftermath of Jesus' betrayal and arrest, he sat outside the palace contemplating the turn of events when he was accused of being one of Jesus' followers. He denied it. Two more times similar accusations were made and on both occasions, he did the same thing. Immediately after the third denial, mixed with cursing and swearing, the cock crew. According to the narrative, "And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, ‘Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.’ And he went out, and wept bitterly" (Matthew 26:75, KJV).

Peter must have been devastated. He was one of Jesus' most solid supporters. It was he who had acclaimed of Jesus, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt. 16:16). He was there at Jesus' transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-6). He had witnessed just about every miracle. Jesus was not only his Lord but also his friend. He had meant it when he said earlier, "Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee" (Matthew 26:35). Yet when faced with the reality of the cost of following Jesus, the pressure got to him. He denied his friend; denied even knowing Him.

Fast forward almost two thousand years and as disciples of Jesus living in a world increasingly hostile to Christ and His followers, our challenge is no different than Peter's. Filled with good intentions of standing up for and with Jesus, how do we respond when those around us challenge our stand? Do the people in our sphere of influence even know we are with Jesus? Peter knew that if he admitted being one of Jesus' disciples, he would be arrested and possibly killed. To save himself, he denied any association with Him. At a time when it is not cool to be a Jesus follower, do we take our stand with Him or do we give Him up when we deem the cost of standing with Him to be too high?

The next time you sing Israel Houghton's "I am a friend of God," ask yourself exactly what does that mean. Jesus was both betrayed and denied not by people who were hostile to Him but by friends. What kind of a friend are you to Him? Friend enough to say, regardless of cost and circumstances, "I am with Him"?

Knowing a True Friend

 If we have not said it ourselves, we have heard it said by someone - true friends do not intentionally hurt one another. At face value it seems a solid statement but is it really true? Are there times when a true friend intentionally hurts another with good as the end goal? I pondered these questions as I reflected on the canonical proverb: "Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful" (Proverbs 27:6).

Very few people would argue that genuine friends look out for the best interests of each other. A part of that is affirming, complementing, supporting, protecting, and so on. We expect them to be our biggest cheerleaders. Yet every now and again we need that one person to tell us not what we want to hear, but rather the hard truth(s) we would rather not hear. Fully realizing that they will be hurting our feelings when they speak up or warn us about our behaviour or attitude, these friends also know some will become angry and tell them to mind their own business. Nevertheless, they risk the backlash and speak up anyway, loving us every step of the way. Without fail, they are willing to "wound" our feelings in order to save us from ourselves.

Some friends are enablers. These persons, by their actions, make it easier for someone to continue their self-destructive behaviours. In order to keep the friendship and the benefits they receive from it, they look out only for their interests even if it means standing by, watching and doing nothing while the other party rushes along destructive pathways. Enablers often tell us what we want to hear, stroke our egos, make excuses for us, and validate our insecurities. With friends like these, there is no need for enemies.

Enemies, on the other hand, really do not care about us. Some will even appear to be genuine friends, showering the unsuspecting with flattering words and interest while harboring ulterior motives. What they take from us pales in comparison to what they give, if anything. Because they come across as loving and caring, it is easy to become a victim of their deceitfulness.

Have you taken the time to evaluate your friendships? Just maybe the friend you have been avoiding because they are always in your face challenging your behaviours and attitudes is the true friend you have been looking for. The kisses of the flatterer that feed and satisfy your ego could be your undoing.

"Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." Can you tell the difference?