To my kids,
Let's talk about King Nebuchadnezzar's monumental misunderstanding.
In Daniel 2:31, Daniel describes the dream: a statue with a head of gold. In verse 38, he delivers the interpretation: "You are that head of gold." The God of heaven had given the king everythingâsovereignty, power, strength, honor, and dominion over the entire inhabited world, even the animals.
Then Chapter 3 opens with the king building a statue. Not just a head of gold, but an entire statue of gold, and commanding everyone to worship it.
Here's the core of the issue: The king completely misinterpreted the revelation. He was shown that his power and kingdom came from God, but he internalized it as a reason to glorify himself. He had it all, yet he built an idol, demanding worship as if what God had given him wasn't enough. Was it greed? Arrogance? A catastrophic lack of seeking clarity?
The lesson for us is stark: We must be incredibly mindful with what God entrusts to us. When God reveals something, we have a responsibility to seek full understandingâto ask, "What do you expect from me with this?"âso we don't misuse it and provoke His anger.
The Hebrew Boys' Unshakeable Stand
This brings us to the Hebrew boys.
Faced with the king's golden idol and the threat of a fiery furnace, they drew a line in the sand. Daniel 3:16-18 is the climax, especially verse 18:
"But even if he does not, we want to make it clear to you, your majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the statue."
Their faith wasn't conditional on God performing a rescue. This takes me straight to my favorite song by Joyous Celebration ft. Ncebakazi Msomi:
"Wachithi'igazi esiphambanweni
Yingakho ngithi Ungcwele njalo
Nom'engaveli akushintshi lutho
Wagqiba konke esphambanweni"
(He shed His blood on the cross; that's why I say You are forever holy.
Even if You don't appear, it changes nothing; He finished everything on the cross.)
This is the kind of faith God expects from you and me. It's the realization that our prayers were ultimately answered at Calvary. Whether God intervenes in our immediate circumstance or not does not change His nature, His holiness, or the victory He has already won.
The Bible is a timeless masterpiece. What I'm writing now applies directly to what I'm facing in my 22nd year. I guarantee that next year, I'll have a new layer of understanding. That's the point of the blueprintâGod foresaw every season we would walk through and provided accordingly.
This chapter forces us to be cognizant of a hard truth: God may not answer our prayers in the way we want. That is the reality. But if He doesn't come through for us in this moment, He remains God. He remains our shelter. His character is not defined by our immediate deliverance.
This is the attitude I expect from you.
The song asks the pivotal question: "Nom'engaveli akushintshi lutho" â "Even if He doesn't appear, nothing changes."
This is where you must ask yourself: Are you after the heart of God or the hand of God? Do you want heaven because you long to be with Him, or just because you fear hell?
I need you to take a moment and figure out where you stand.
It is my duty to introduce you to God and plant the same seeds that were planted in me. But by the age of 18, you will be out of my house, and you will choose who you serve. Christ works for me, and I do not expect less from you.
Yes, I will guide you firmly while you are under my roof. But once you leave, it will be between you and God. I need you to seek His heart, not just His hand, or you will not stand in the last days. I have done my part. I want stars in my crown in heaven, so please, go after the heart of God.
Faith That Walks Into Actual Fire
Now, back to the Hebrew boys.
They displayed phenomenal faith in the face of literal, flesh-consuming fireânot just "trials and tribulations." Imagine the social pressure, the ridicule for not conforming, and then being told you'll be thrown into a blaze so hot it kills the soldiers who toss you in.
They were built differently. What an honor to become the very face of faith.
"The magnificence of the faith of the three young men is seen in their unwavering refusal to be disloyal to God, with a seven-times heated furnace as the only alternative."
The Bible doesn't say if they felt the heat as they were thrown in. I doubt it, because the thermal shock killed the men who shoved them in. God was already with them; they just didn't know it yet. I imagine them being shoved with their eyes clenched shut, only to find themselves untied and walking freely inside the inferno. They were likely surprised to find their bonds gone, and only then did they open their eyes to see the fourth manâthe Son of God.
The point is, they were reminded of the God they served only after they had entered the fire. They didn't play it safe. They chose the unknownâtrusting in what God would do, without any guarantee of what that would be. They walked into the furnace with unshakeable faith.
This kind of faith isn't easy to possess, I can tell you that. But guess what?
God would never ask us to believe without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith.
Also, God has never removed the possibility of doubt. He gives us a choiceâonce again. Our faith must rest on evidence, not on constant demonstration. He won't always answer the prayer of "God, if you are real, then..."âif anything, that prayer can be an insult, dismissing everything He has already done for you just because you're in a pruning season.
How quick we are to forget! Put some respect on His name.
The point is this: Faith is a choice you make. And when you make that choice, you stick by it no matter what is thrown your way. A personal, public encounter with the Son of God was on the other side of their obedience. You don't want to miss your encounter with Him because you allowed the spirit of doubt to consume you.
The Ripple Effect of Your Faith
Finally, see the ripple effect.
Through the obedience and faithfulness of these three men, their associates and the entire kingdom witnessed a living demonstration of faith and its results.
Someone else's salvation can depend on your obedience to God.
Remember: your lifestyle is the only Bible some people will ever get to read. Do not be selfish and believe your life is yours to live for yourself alone. God has a plan for you meant to advance His kingdom. You do not want to be a stumbling block in that.
In whatever position you occupy, do not forget how the Hebrew boys did it.
"These faithful Hebrews possessed great natural ability and intellectual culture, and they occupied a high position of honor; but all these advantages did not lead them to forget God."
May your lives be ennobled by your faith and may it beautify your character.
Always remember that to know God is to be assured of His absolute willingness to intervene in the way He knows to be in our highest interests.
You know, kids, God does not ask much from us. Our part is to pray and believe. Then, we must speak and act in harmony with our prayers. How you speak and act when faced with trials will prove your faith to be genuine or show that your prayers are only a form. The Hebrew boys are our example.
Ask in faith. Wait in faith. Receive in faith. Rejoice in hope, for everyone who seeks finds. Be in earnest in the matter. Seek God with all your heart.
With all my love,
Your Mom