Tuesday April 7, 2020

Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:

Consider the story of Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego. They refused to bow before the golden image which the king Nebuchadnezzar had setup. So naturally, he threatened to burn them alive. They were not moved by fear, and they did not give into his intimidation. Instead, they relied on the goodness of God.

Daniel 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. (17) If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. (18) But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

They were able to stand in opposition to the king because they believed in God’s goodness and faithfulness more than they believed in the king’s capacity for evil. They knew that God was able to save them and would deliver them. But it is the last part of their statement which really shows their faith. They trusted so strongly in the inherent goodness of God, that even if He allowed them to be burned alive, they would submit to Him, holding to the expectation that it even in that, His goodness would be revealed. Now, they did not say that, but how else could they have made such a statement?

Would you risk a fiery death if you did not believe that God was good and that He had your ultimate good in mind? How could Joseph have faced slavery and injustice? How could the prophets endure ridicule and persecution? How could Paul face the flogging, stoning, and many other hardships? How could the disciples have faced martyrdom? How could Jesus face the cross unless there was an unshakable faith in the overarching goodness of God?

You see, if we are truly going to follow God, we must believe that He is good. Because there will be times in our lives when all the evidence around us seems to challenge that fact. We must consider His goodness and what it means now, so that when those times come upon us, we will already be established on that firm foundation. When the storms beat against us, we will not be overturned, because we are set upon the goodness of God.

-Jared Freeman, “God Is Good”