“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20 NLT
In the heart of Babylon, amidst a foreign culture, lived three Hebrew men – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They had been taken from Israel, their home, to be servants of a pagan king. However, the names we know them by were not the names given to them at birth. These names were given to them by their captors, masking their true identities. Their Hebrew names, the name each man was given by his father, were:
- Hananiah – “God is Gracious”
- Mishael – “Who is like God?”
- Azariah – “God is Help”
These men of God have been made citizens of another land, surrounded by a pagan culture, and called by the wrong name. Today, us men of God find ourselves in a world becoming more like the one these three found themselves in. We are strangers in a foreign land.
Many of us may feel that our culture is moving away from Godly values – becoming more secularized. Those around us come across as boastful, proud, ungrateful, unforgiving, and even cruel at times. In turn, the name of God and the Church are scoffed at, ridiculed, and insulted.
Despite this, our Father has called us sons, co-heirs with Christ, and a chosen, royal, holy people. We are not citizens of this world. In reality, we are citizens of Heaven. You and I do not have to embrace the labels the world assigns us; instead, we are encouraged by the Holy Spirit to embrace the truth of our identities in Christ.
Though differently today, we experience our own trials for our belief in God as did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Just as the one who looked “like the Son of God” was with them in the fire back then, so is Jesus with us in our hardest trials today. When we feel as if the flames are getting hotter and hotter around us, we will not be harmed, for God is our fortress, our deliverer, our strength, and our shield.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not perish in the fire. Rather, they walked out unscathed. My challenge to you today is to have the faith in God those three had. Hold fast to these truths and lean into the men of God that we are called to be. Do not fear the fire!
Prayer
Father, may we, like these brave men of Your Word, lay hold to our citizenship of Heaven. May we refuse to bow to the idol of culture, and may we reject the names not given by You. Help us to stand boldly for righteousness, godliness, and Your Word. Help us to advance Your kingdom even as we walk through fires, unafraid because Your Son is by our side. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Extra Reading
All of Daniel 3 NLT
