Dan 3:14-20, 91-92, 95
We
all are familiar with the touching story of the three men in Babylon (Shedrach,
Meshach, and Abednego) and their fight for freedom from sin. They did not
compromise their faith in the face of persecution even at the heart of a fiery furnace.
Knowing the implication of not bowing down to the golden image, they insisted
in being positively stubborn. In spite of persuasions and threats from the
king, their response was awesome, simple and noble: “If our God, whom we serve,
can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may he save
us! But even if he will not, know, O king, that we will not serve your god or
worship the golden statue.” (Daniel
3:15-18). Miraculously, God delivered them from the
red-hot furnace unharmed.
These
three young men were saved because they valued obedience to God more than any
human law. Your daily experiences in life may not be far from this Babylonian
persecution of these the Jews. In your place of work, you might be asked to lie
or cover up some kind of dirty deals that are in direct contrast to your faith;
you might be forced to do some unethical things or face sacking. Sometimes you are denied promotion in office because
you are always on the side of the truth. What about the laws that get in the
way of religious freedom? In everything, remember that obedience to God has priority
over any other human decree. Even if you are to face the drastic consequences
that follows, remember that God is always with you in the heart of the fire. He
not only knows what we are going through, but will also see us through in our
trials and tribulations.
Freedom
is the basis of positive change in the world. To change the world as Christians,
we must be from sin. This is focal point of today’s readings. The radical faith and freedom from sin of
Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego brought the whole people to repentance. What can
you do today to bring people to God?
