Faith In Times of Trouble

Those who are striving to live as God wants them to can expect to have troubles. Often we wonder how it is that God allows good people to undergo such hardships. Those who claim there is no God (athiests) use the fact of human suffering as their chief argument that God does not exist. Christians must realize that God does exist, for "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God,'"(Ps. 14:1). Christians, in order to keep their faith, must also realize that God is in control of the world. "In order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men..." (Dan. 4:17). In realizing that the perfect, all-powerful, and all-loving God exists, and that He is in control of the world around us we can read Romans 8:28 with confidence in its truth "...that all things work together for good to those who love God..." Knowing these truths, let us consider the faith of three men in their time of trouble. The three are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego and their story is in Daniel chapter three. In this chapter we will examine three facts concerning faith in times of trouble.

Temptation Is Inevitable

Temptation is a fact of life. If we are living we can expect to be tempted to sin. We should therefore expect temptation to come and be prepared to resist it when it arrives. The story of our three heroes begins in chapter one as they are removed from their homeland and forced to live in the pagan society of ancient Babylon. The first test for them was in regard to the foods which they were to eat. The second test was in regard to the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Through the help of God they were delivered from the king's hand and were set over the affairs of the province of Babylon (Dan. 2:49). This makes possible a third test, whether or not to worship the image set up by the king. To do so would assure their positions in the government. To refuse would invoke the wrath of the king.

All of the government officials are assembled for the dedication of this heathen idol. The decree is set forth, whoever does not worship will be put to death by fire. Can you imagine the thoughts going through the minds of these young Jews? Perhaps no one will notice us if we do not bow down. Maybe we should bow down merely as service and respect for the king. No, that will not do. Consider what they had to lose. They would lose their jobs if they didn't. They would lose their lives. And besides, everyone else is doing it. Will God really notice or mind if we merely bow down with the rest? Yes, and He minds if we do evil merely to go along with a crowd. "You shall not follow a crowd to do evil..."(Exod 23:2). "Abstain from every form of evil,"(1 Thess. 5:22).

Determination Is Necessary

When these men refused to obey the king, they were brought before the king. The Chaldeans were determined to have them destroyed. The king was determined to have them obey. But they were determined to keep themselves pure from sin. They are given another chance to kneel before the image. Everything is on the line. Everyone is watching. But when given the chance they replied "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter,"(Dan 3:16). In other words, "Don't even bother with the band, we will not bow down." I believe that the decision was made long before that moment. Just as with their companion, Daniel who had "purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself, " (Dan 1:8). It is important to make the really tough decisions in advance. While Satan, through the world, is determined to make us sin, we must also be determined not to forfeit our relationship with God for any reason.

Salvation Is Near

Upon their declaration the king was enraged and commanded that the furnace be heated "seven times more than it was usually heated," (Dan 3:19). This would prevent any possibility of escape. But God is in control and His servants are under His watchful eye and His protective embrace. The men had told the king that even if God didn't deliver them from the furnace that they wanted him to know that they didn't serve his gods. God is worth serving even if it costs your life (See Mark 8:36). Even if they had died in the furnace, their soul would be preserved for eternity in heaven. But God chose to deliver them miraculously. There are some who deny that miracles ever happened. These appeal to natural phenomena such as cold spots in the furnace to explain away the miraculous. But this is foolish because the men who cast them into the fire were themselves killed by the flames (Vs. 22). To deny the miraculous events in the Bible is to deny the inspiration of the Scriptures. Miracles throughout the Old Testament often occurred during times of crisis with God's people and their struggle with idolatry. Consider the times of Moses, Joshua, Elijah, and Elisha. And consider the reasons that Judah went into captivity (Jer. 7:30,31). It would have been strange not to have miraculous activity during this time when the Babylonians and the world believed that their gods were superior to Jehovah. We must keep in mind that God has the power to deliver us from the hands of the destroyer if only we will submit to His will. As we consider our three heroes, let us keep in mind that God is in control and that He requires those who follow Him to have faith in Him (Heb. 11:6). Faith is made stronger through trials (Js. 1:2,3). Therefore, we ought not pray for absence of problems, but rather for strength to endure our problems with a view toward eternal salvation.

The faith that saves is:

1. The faith that serves God regardless of external circumstance.
2. The faith that obeys God regardless of the cost.
3. The faith that trusts God regardless of the situation.

"For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end," (Heb. 3:14).