Faith, Fire, and real life.

3 Simple Points About Faith

1) Faith will keep you

Daniel and the three Hebrew boys’ faith in God—and their obedience to uphold the Jewish dietary laws—was honored by God. They proved healthier than those who indulged in the royal delicacies. Faith keeps you near God, within the safety and covering of His grace, and it glorifies Him.

Beginning in Daniel 2, the Israelites’ faith is tested, their lives literally on the line simply because they belonged to the Lord. Through these trials, their unwavering faith helped establish God’s kingdom in a pagan land. After the crisis of the king’s troubling dream, which put the Hebrew youths in a life-or-death situation, another equally dire moment arises—one that ends with a pagan king publicly declaring that the Lord is the Most High and must not be mocked. Faith advances the faithful and establishes the believer, but its primary work is to establish God’s kingdom.

Daniel 2

“In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed…

The astrologers answered the king, ‘There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks!’ …

Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said, ‘Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.’”

2) What destroys others can establish you

Daniel and the other kidnapped Israelites had already endured the fall of their homeland. Now, because of the king’s distrust of his own advisers, they were counted among the “wise men” marked for execution. Yet this apparent end became the very opportunity God used to establish them in the kingdom. As a result of this encounter, the Hebrew youths were elevated to high office—and many witnessed God’s glory for the first time.

3) Faith stands firm—and God makes Himself known

Daniel 3

“King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold… and set it up on the plain of Dura…

‘As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold… Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.’

…Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us… But even if he does not… we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’”

The three Hebrew boys were thrown into the furnace, yet they emerged unharmed. In awe of the miracle, the king called them out of the fire and decreed:

“Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants!… Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”

Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

Conclusion: Faith is designed to establish the kingdom of God—and sometimes the best way God does this is by stretching the faith of His people.