13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; then these men were brought before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”

The image of gold must have been an awesome sight. It is said to have stood higher than a seven-floor building, and it was made completely of pure gold. The statue was meant to represent all of Nebuchadnezzar’s accomplishments. He failed to acknowledge God and believed he was the reason for all of his own success. It was easy for Nebuchadnezzar to blur the line between being a king and being a god. While this may seem extreme, we are all tempted to view our successes as our own doing and not God’s.

But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego saw this image for what it truly was: an impressive creation of man, nothing more. An empty idol that was unworthy of praise. They knew it was unwise to take credit for what God alone had done.

They were given two options for worship: bow down or burn up. How terrible! Bow or burn? This was not an enviable position. The fiery furnace was blazing before them, eagerly waiting to consume those that would not submit to the king. This was an opportunity for these three men to show where their faith was truly found. It is in the suffering and the hard choices of life that others see the genuineness of our faith.

• What is the most difficult decision you have ever had to make? What factors did you consider while making that decision?

• What other examples can you think of where man tried to take credit for something that God did?

• Praise God for being the only One who is worthy of placing our faith, hope, and trust in.