Do you remember the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Here’s a quick summary: King Nebuchadnezzar gathers together all the people, including the who’s who from throughout the Babylonian Empire. People from different nations and languages. He invites them to come to the dedication of a gold statue. It is a party.

    

As they are assembling, they are ordered to bow down and worship the golden statue when the music strikes up – or else they’ll be thrown into a fiery furnace.

 

Everyone bows down…with the exception of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. With everyone bowing down, it is very obvious to those around that those three are standing. The King goes haywire, which was not uncommon for him, and orders them to be brought in.

 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, of course, admit to not worshipping the statue. They boldly announce that their God is powerful enough to save them from the fiery furnace. If they can survive, it’ll prove that their God is powerful.

 

Fired up, Nebuchadnezzar sentences them to be thrown into the furnace. He demands that the furnace be seven times its normal temperature (Dr. Evil attempted this, as well).

 

As the King’s mighty men prepare to toss the fully clothed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the furnace, the flame from the fire kills the mighty men in the process, and the three fall into the furnace.

 

King Nebuchadnezzar is dumbfounded to see that there are more than three people in the fire. There’s a fourth person present, who looks like “a son of the gods.” And he’s walking, alive with the other three.

 

Dazzled and impressed, he calls Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego out of the fire. They emerge with their cloaks unharmed, not a hair singed, and not even the smell of fire was on them – to the surprise of all the King’s officials.

 

What a powerful story. We have heard many sermons, children’s stories, and the like about these three. As we should, but I want to point something out that we sometimes overlook in the story, which I believe will help in our walk with Christ.

 

We like to think of ourselves as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Being brave and standing for God when no one else will. That is how we hear that story and that is the prism through which we visualize the lesson. But what if – stay with me – what if we can learn to be more like Christ by acting like King Nebuchadnezzar at the end of the story.

 

He noticed what was happening in the furnace and when he called the trio out, he praises the God (our God) of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He sees visually what God can and will do in someone’s life. In fact, Daniel 4 concludes with one of the last mentions of Nebuchadnezzar, that the King said this: “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”

Although not the perfect role model, we can learn from King Nebuchadnezzar. He praised God for His workings in others’ lives and made changes in his own life to follow God. But my biggest takeaway is this: God is not finished with you yet! He still has a plan for you. He has not given up on you. He didn’t quit or hide for King Nebuchadnezzar, and he threw three people into a fiery furnace.