Daniel 3:16-19

Now I want to ask you a question. In spite of all the evidence that they had from the around and the about (Nebuchadnezzar, his police force, the accusers, the roaring fire), did they see God? Yes, they saw God, though not with their physical eyes.

They could see his face, but they also saw God. Now from where did this powerful conviction come? Brethren, that kind of conviction does not arise on command, at the spur of the moment. That kind of conviction was the fruit of the demonstration of God in the lives of these three young men previous to this time and when their lives were on the line. They grew in faith over a period of time.

God is the God who is always the same. I Corinthians 10:13 applied to them just as it applies to you and me. He knew what they were able to endure. And they knew that He would provide a way of escape. So they said, Even if He does not choose to do that, we still are not going to bow down to your image.

Brethren, why do not more mighty deliverances occur to us? I think it is because we spend so little time fellowshipping with God that we do not see Him as an immediate and vitally important part of our lives. As a result of that, we are overwhelmed by the physical, by the around and the about.

There are so many examples in the Bible, in God's Word, of people who saw God in seemingly impossible situations. Yet, for some reason or another - and I believe it is because, just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and just as you and I are being called on to do today - each one is called on to include God and His thinking, His perspective, to see Him in every aspect of life. Then, throughout our life from God's calling on, we are slowly but surely building in strength, in confidence, and in faith in God. We see Him in everything!

Isaiah 46:9 says, Remember the former things. That is what David did. That is what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego did. They remembered the former things. God demonstrated Himself in the former things - not only Himself, but also His purpose. We have to remember. But, brethren, it is really reinforced and built through obedience to His counsel in the present and seeing from one's own experience that it truly does stand. And then, one can see God!

Daniel 3:16-18

In these examples, the situation the individuals find themselves in is usually a perilous one. They could have easily hidden from view and not put themselves at risk in the case of David and Goliath. They could have kept silent and not pushed the issue with such aggressiveness as in the case with Elijah at Mount Carmel. They could have not stood out and instead compromised with the orders of idolatry in the case of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. In their bold speaking, however, their trust was not in themselves. They all relied on and trusted in God. He was the source of their courage. It was in His ability to save that David trusted. It was in His powerful word that Elijah trusted. And it was in His sovereignty and plan that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trusted.