Let It Be Known

"Let it be known". These 4 words have been in my head for the past couple weeks. They are from the book of Daniel; before Daniel's friends were going to be thrown into the fiery furnace because they would not bow down to an idol that was erected in the image of King Nebuchadnezzar.

Here's a little review: Judah was captured by the king of Babylon and the king brought some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding, and discerning knowledge and the king ordered these young men to be taught the language & customs of the Chaldeans; the names of the young men were changed too--to represent the Babylonian gods, so they would be truly be absorbed by the culture of the Babylonians. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah made a courageous choice to not eat the food from the king's table and chose instead to eat vegies & water only. God's favor was on them and the Lord increased their abilities and gave them knowledge & intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom. King Nebuchadnezzar found no one like these 4 young men, so they entered the king's personal service. Daniel is moved into the king's court because he interprets a dream the king had.....our 3 young men are still in the king's service.

16 years have passed and "King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide..." (Dan. 3:1) and made a decree that whoever does not fall down and worship the golden image will immediately be thrown into the fiery furnace. Mishael, Hananiah and Azariah (they are better known by their Babylonian names: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) would not fall down and worship and so they were summoned by the king. The king was very angry and asked the 3 men if this was true, that they wouldn't bow down & worship. He gave them one more chance and said, "if you will not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?" (Dan. 3:15). It is at this point that our brave friends stand up to a raging king, understanding their fate and they respond: "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But, even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."

Those words~let it be known~that shows the strength and courage that those men had. What is it that you will let it be known? Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael knew that the furnace of blazing fire awaited them, and yet they said, "LET IT BE KNOWN"! We all face fiery trials. There are several outcomes that the Lord will work out in these fiery trials.

1) We can be delivered from the fire. He is able!

2) We can be delivered through the fire....to get to the other side (I Peter 1:6-7)
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in
all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which
perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise,
glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

3) We can be delivered by the fire into His arms.

When the furnace of blazing fire awaits you, what do you say? What do you do? Do you stand strong in the faith that you know is true and say LET IT BE KNOWN:
1) that my God is the one true God and HE can save me,
2) that I have seen my God's faithfulness in the past to know that He will see me through
3) that God is good all the time and all the time God is good!
4) I will serve my God even when I can't see what lies ahead
5) that He has taken me through the fire and I have been refined and I trust Him to do that again
6) that I serve the living God
7) that God loves me and He has my best in mind
8) that I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever
9) that I trust in the name of the Lord; He is my refuge, my strong tower, my Rock, my Redeemer, my Savior, my fortress, my deliverer, my shield, my stronghold, my strength....

So, what will you "let it be known"? What will your list look like. I want to be strong & courageous like the 3 men who were thrown into the fire (turned up 7 times hotter than usual). The Lord met them in the fire and delivered them from the fire. The men came out of the furnace and "the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were there trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them." (Dan. 3:27) WOW! What a faithful God we serve! Don't bow your knee to any other....say, instead, "Let it be known"....