What to Do When God Lets You Down

“But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.” Daniel 3:15 

Few people in the scriptures compare to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  They suffered kidnapping, slavery, a forced identity change, and physical mutilation.  The three exemplified love for God in every aspect of their lives.  Now, upon penalty of death by a raging, fiery furnace, they were commanded to bow down to the King’s golden image.  One simple act of obeisance would have spared them from this barbaric, Babylonian torture.  But, they wouldn’t bow, they wouldn’t bend.  What a display of moral courage! One would have thought a trumpet fanfare and the drum roll of heaven would have sounded as the mighty hand of God arced through the sky and snatched them from Nebuchadnezzar.  But nothing happened. Nothing! When they made their heroic stand, it was as if God completely ignored them.  There was no sign from heaven, no divine encouragement, no inkling that God even knew what was going on for His namesake in Babylon.  It seemed that God had let them down. 

Have you been there?  After your best spiritual performance, after you defeated the world, the flesh and the devil, nothing happened.  After you gave a sacrificial offering, thinking that God would bless you a little bit, nothing happened.  After you took a day off work to help someone in a desperate situation; or you sat with someone at the hospital all day, you got no special credit.  Things actually seemed to get worse in your life.  Have you cried, “Where is God when I need Him most?!”  I’m sure you have.  Following are three keys that these Hebrews used that guaranteed victory for them.  They didn’t speak all at once, so let’s assign a directive to each one.    

The Shadrach Key:  Serve God with reckless abandon.  “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.” Timid, weak, vacillating and spineless commitment to God never works.  God is never on the spot. God has nothing to prove. God is never trying to measure up. God wants you to let go of your hang-ups, security blankets, escape routes and “excuse me’s.” Let go—-and let go completely. 

The Meshach Key:           Never doubt that God is able. “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.”  GOD CAN! This must be your mantra.  God can heal any disease, defeat any enemy, deliver from any oppression, answer any prayer, withstand any attack and drive out any devil! He is both omniscient AND omnipotent!   

The Abednego Key:  Do the right thing, regardless of the outcome. “But if not, just know, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.”  Even if God denied their plea, don’t think they were going to jump to the other side. They acted on principle, not on the consequences of his decision.  If you fashion your doctrine or beliefs according to the world, friends, or family, then you subject righteousness to convenience.  The real question is never, will God let me down, but will I let God down?  

God didn’t not let Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego down.  Read it. (Daniel 3:24-30). Deliverance came—just not when and how they thought it would.  God’s plan was for them to be thrown into the furnace, so He could save them out of the fire!  God’s way always has a far greater effect!

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[Sydney Heimericks]

I needed that today; Thank-you Jesus.