The Resources of Faith

“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” Daniel 3:17-18

Throughout every age of human history there have been those men who put their trust in God and bravely endured the opposition of evil men. The hand of God miraculously delivered some, while others graciously suffered for their Savior. No matter what the outcome of the differing circumstances, they all had in common a faith in their God that would not waver. A faith that believed that God cares for those that are His. Perhaps, there is no greater example in the Scripture than the three young friends of Daniel as they faced a furnace of fire.

What allowed these three young men to boldly stand, while the others bowed to the pressure of the king? What allowed them to confidently defy the king when given another chance?

1. Faith in the Ability of God to Deliver Them
As these three young men stood before the king, they possessed a faith in God’s ability to deliver them. They believed that God’s power was able to prevail over the power of the king. How often do we profess a faith in God’s ability in general, yet when faced with our specific need doubt that He is able.

2. Confidence in the Willingness of God to Deliver them
To know God is to be assured of His absolute willingness to intervene in the way that He sees best to be in our highest interest. However, the way that God delivers us may not be the way that we envisioned.

3. Acceptance of the Sovereignty of God
Their faith was strong enough to say “but if not”. Even if God would not deliver them, they were resolved not to worship the golden image because to these three men loyalty to God was of greater importance than life itself.

We know not what lies ahead for us, but every believer ought to have the same confidence that these three Hebrews had seeing we all have the same resources available to us. Our God is able to deliver us for He “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20)

Pastor Jeffrey Bateman