Will You, or won't You?

Recently I was at a concert where the story of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego was referenced. The fiery furnace is a story that most people are familiar with, I mean there is even a Veggie Tales story about it. And yet, rereading it again this weekend, I was reminded of just how in control God is when we allow Him to be.
The story is about 3 men who were made "administrators over the province of Babylon" by the King, under the request of the dream-interpreter Daniel. To sum up the story, the King had a golden idol made and asked that his servants bow down and serve the idol when they heard the music being played. And everyone in the town did as they were told, they worshipped a golden statue out of fear and obedience, except for three. These three refused to bow down and they were forced before the King to explain themselves:

 "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? ¹⁵ Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?" - Daniel 3:13-15

It was a do or die moment for these three brave men. They had the choice to act on their own fear and obey an earthly master, in an effort to save face and escape death. Or, they could trust in their Lord and His will and risk it all. They had a difficult choice to make - the King's will or the Lord's will?

Before we talk about their answer, I want to mention another way that God was speaking to me this weekend. I had gone with my boyfriend to a wedding outside of Dallas. We took my mother's car and ended up sloshing through a few muddy pastures in our quest for the wedding venue. I returned the car to my mother looking a little worse for the wear. I decided to spend some time washing the car and returning it to the state with which it was loaned to me. My 3-year old son asked to help and I agreed, seeing an opportunity to teach him about hard work and responsibility. We worked alongside each other - me washing and him slapping the car with an overly wet cloth. I allowed him to help me, knowing that I would likely have to rewash the areas that he had "washed" himself. I spent some time upfront, explaining and modeling how to wash the car and then left him alone to practice. Part of me wanted to correct him and take over, knowing that my work load would be easier if I did. But he seemed to enjoy the process of trying and doing and he was trying so hard to do what mommy was doing. It struck me in that moment what an illustration of free will that was. 

God can do everything perfectly, He does not make mistakes. He can handle any situation that is placed before Him, without our help. But, He allows the opportunity to try things on our own and to work things out the way we want to. God knows that sometimes this means that He will have to come back and "rewash" the things we think we have washed. And He knows that at times we are making a mess of things and giving Him more work to do in the long run. And still, He does not take over. He does not get angry at our efforts. The Bible is our instruction manual, in that way we have received the lessons and modeling that we need to live a life that echoes Christ. I think God knows that those who love Him want to look like Him and enjoy trying to follow in His footsteps. He allows us free will because He knows that our heart's desire is to choose and follow his lead and He enjoys teaching us how to do that. 

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were offered that same opportunity. They were allowed the choice of whether to follow their earthly King or the Heavenly King. God did not choose for them, or force them to choose Him. But here is what happened:

 "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel - 3:16-18

They chose to follow God, even though doing so would lead them in to the fiery furnace. They knew that following God would save them and that God would honor their choice. They submitted to God's will and trusted that He would save them. But, they added, "EVEN IF HE DOES NOT". This phrase is so huge. Did they hope God would save them? Absolutely. Did they trust that He could? Certainly. But they knew enough not to assume anything about the will and power of God. They trusted that even if He didn't save them, even if He chose to let them suffer a fiery death, that His will was higher and bigger and better than the alternative.

And what happened in the end was that God did show up, and He saved them from death. He joined them in the flames and allowed them to be untouched by the heat. You see, God allows us to choose. We can choose many things in our life. That is the right that His son's blood gave us. What we do with that privilege is up to us. Will we crack against the "king's" of this world and the threats and pressures they put us under? Or will we choose to follow the will of the Father, knowing that it is always best, EVEN IF, it means the fiery furnace for us? 

** I admit that part of this blog is stolen from an idea that I recently heard at a Shane and Shane concert. I heard something there that resonated with me and that stuck to my spirit long after the worship experience had ended. I used that nugget as a jumping off point for this post. While it may have been slightly stolen it is still sincere.