Send Me an Angel

Daniel 3:28

"Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, 
Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his 
servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, 
and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor 
worship any god, except their own God."

    In the book of Daniel we are witness to one of the most spectacular displays of faith and, conversely, one of the most glorious demonstrations of God’s salvation. Three Jewish youth, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who had been taken captive and exiled to Babylon, decided to disobey King Nebuchadnezzar. The king had built a massive golden idol and declared that everyone under his rule must bow down and worship it. The penalty for failing to do so would be death by fire. The three young men refused as it would be committing idolatry, one of the three sins for which a Jew be put to death for disobeying that command.

    When the matter was brought to the king, he was so furious that he ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than it already was and that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be bound and thrown into it. The furnace was so hot that the soldiers who brought the convicted three to its door died immediately from the scorching heat. By all natural measures, the three youths should have perished in seconds.

    Yet, this is what happened: "Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God," (Dan 3:24-25). What Nebuchadnezzar saw was God’s angel in the furnace with the men. The angel had untied and protected them. When the men emerged, not only were they completely unharmed, but they also didn’t even smell like they had been anywhere near a fire!

    In shock and awe,"Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God."  Nebuchadnezzar recognized that the three youth’s faith was what caused God to send His angel to rescue them.

    We’ve all heard of guardian angels. We’ve heard of modern day accounts where people have felt saved by a stranger whom they suspected was an angel in disguise. However, as much as we value or believe in the assistance of angels in our lives, we can learn an important lesson from the words of Nebuchadnezzar. 
    My Friends, The angel didn’t come on its own accord. It was the faith and trust that the men placed in God that caused God to send the angel. Our job isn’t to place our hope in angels. Our job is to place our hope steadfastly and completely in God and God alone. If we do that, He may just send the angel we need. 

Amen! 

Reading: Dan 3:1-30
Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry