The Testing Of Our Faith

by Pastor Mark
April 16, 2020

Facing the testing of life

In life, there will be significant moments when our faith will be tested by the adverse circumstances that we find ourselves in. God allows for these moments so that we would be able to assess what kind of faith we have. Do we have a faith that is strong enough to withstand the testing of life? The three friends of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, had to go through a challenging test. King Nebuchadnezzar gave a decree that all should bow down and worship his golden image. Anyone who did not bow would be condemned to death by being burned in the fiery furnace. (Dan 3:5,6) The enemies of the three friends knew that this decree would put them in a dilemma.

Daring to stand up for our faith

Was there any doubt as to what the three friends would do? The answer is “No”. They chose not to bow to the image of the king. Bowing to the golden image was against the commandments of God. (Ex 20) They would have disobeyed God and denied their faith. Instead, the three friends stood for their faith in God. They did not allow the possible adverse consequences of their standing up to cause them to fear or to weaken their faith. Their faith gave them the courage to stand firm and steadfast even if it meant certain death. What an excellent example for us to follow! Let us be challenged to dare to stand up for our faith.

Declaring a statement of faith

The enemies made accusations against Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, and they were brought before the king. As the king questioned the three friends, they made a declaration of their faith. This was their statement of faith before the king, “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Dan 3:17,18) What did the three friends boldly testify of as to their statement of faith?

  1. The power of God. They spoke confidently about God being able to deliver them. There were absolute faith and trust in the power of God to save them.
  2. The prerogative of God. There was no presumption on their part that God would deliver. By stating “But if not”, they were applying full faith and trust in the prerogative of God, that it is up to Him to decide whether to deliver them or not.
  3. Total devotion to God. Whatever the outcome, the three friends were going to be completely devoted to God. They were never going to compromise their faith by bowing to the golden image. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were going to be faithful to God even to death. Let us be inspired by the example of the three friends.

Depending on the grace and mercy of God

Due to their statement of faith, the three friends were thrown into the fiery furnace which was heated to be seven times more than usual. (Dan 3:19) But the Lord delivered the three of them. The Son of God was there to protect them from the intense heat of the furnace. (Dan 3:25) This was because of the grace and mercy of God. As we go through the testing of our faith through this COVID-19 situation, let us ensure that we have absolute faith and trust in the Lord and His power. Let us not make any presumption on the deliverance of God but to depend on His grace and mercy. Let us be fully devoted to the Lord, no matter the outcome.

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