As I was reading our text in Daniel 3 today, I had a thought that I hope will encourage you today.
SUNSCREEN. Odd word for this time of the year, isn't it? Sunscreen protects us from the sun's rays. There are various grades of protection we can apply to our body to protect it from the sun. How you are affected by the sun is based on how much you apply to your body.
Sunscreen... what is it for, and how does it relate to the Daniel Fast? Good question?
The scripture that jumped off the page is vs. 17-18... "If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."
Well, as we read about the story of these 3 young men who had everything to live for, did you wonder why they were not afraid? I did. I mean, think about it: they were young men who had been under house arrest for a crime they didn't commit. Sure, they were living as servants to the King and all of their necessities of life were provided for. The king was King Nebuchadnezzar and he selected these young men out of all the men of the nation to serve him. But, in reality, they were prisoners in their own city. They were allowed to walked around and hang out with their friends, as long as they obeyed the King's rules. If not, they would either be sent home, or possibly thrown into prison. Even though they were not bound with chains, they were still under a restraint: they were captives in their own country. They had the freedom to walk around and talk to their friends, eat, sleep in a nice bed, but did not have the liberty to do as they pleased.
In the story, King Nebby (it's easier to write) had a statue built in his own honor and everyone was required to bow down and worship it when the music played in the city. No exceptions, bow down or be thrown into a burning furnace. WHAT? That's a little much don't ya think? A furnace... this king meant business. Pride, arrogance, paranoid, I don't know, he had issues.
So, as we read, these 3 young men would not bow down to the King or his idol for any reason...even if it meant certain death.
This is where the story gets interesting... The king had a rule and these young men broke it; they were to be punished and thrown into the furnace. The king was so upset that He made it 7 times hotter. He must have really been mad. These 3 young men were bound and pushed into the furnace. But when the king looked inside he was shocked to see not only 3 young men who were NOT dying... on the contrary, the 3 boys and a FOURTH stood. No screaming, no pain, they were actually walking together in the hot scalding, blistering, blazing, ouch....furnace and all the restraints had burned off of them.
What made the difference? It was the Protection that they had...they had SONSCREEN. King Nebby said it looked like the Son of the gods was walking with these boys. WOW...so in other words God showed up and literally protected these young guys from being burned up by the Fire. The Son of God was sent to protect them from the effects of the Fire.
So what can we take away from this story? Well, we know King Nebby was fearful of the Hebrew God who protected these boys, so he changed his rule that all of the people would worship the God of the boys, not the statue of himself...Wasn't happening!!!
There was a Faith in God that was more than just believing in God.
These young men had a relationship with God that gave them a level of confidence that even though they could die in the furnace they were not afraid. They were committed to God and would not compromise their beliefs...even if it mean death.
When we face some of the most difficult times in our lives remember that there is "SONSCREEN" available for us.
The Bible says in Isaiah 43:2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, and flame will not scorch you."
How to apply SonScreen to your Life today:
1. They were committed to God... you don't need to compromise what you believe.
2. They stood together...you don't have to go through difficult times alone.
3. God's protection covered them...He will protect you from the effects of this world.
4.Trust God...He promises to be there in the middle of your Storm.
If you are looking for him you will find him.... He is right there with you.... Let him be your "SonScreen": Your protection from the elements of life.
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