“There’s No Other Way”

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.”

Ever since I was a child, one song that I always remembered was “Trust and Obey” with the chorus saying ‘there is no other way.’ 

As I reflect on today’s reading, I am reminded of why Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were thrown in the fiery furnace – they would not bow down to the Golden image the King had made because of their obedience to God. They did not know whether their obedience would lead to death or not, but they knew God could save them if it was His will. Not knowing the outcome, they trusted and obeyed. What Faith they had in God!

This passage also shows how our God can do the impossible. He prevented Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from being burned in any way. What a display of His power!

While using the HEAR method (see below) consider the following questions: 

• What about me? Am I willing to obey and trust God with the outcome? 
• Is my faith such that I am obedient even if faced with death?

Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you? 

Explain – what does the passage mean? 

Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today? 

Respond – how is God leading you to respond?

Joe Sowell, Men’s Ministry Leader and Men’s Wednesday night small group leader