DANIEL 3:8-30
Situations may change. Results may be different. God is God!
Polycarp (AD 69-155), who was Bishop of the church at Smyrna, was asked by Roman authorities to deny Christ if he wanted to live, but he said, “Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” Because he would not curse Christ, he was burned at the stake.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego faced a similar threat and God delivered them. A similar experience but two different outcomes. Polycarp was burned alive, but Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego left the furnace without any harm.
The same display of faith producing two different results. These men showed us that faith in God is not simply faith in what God can do. But it is the belief that God is God whether He delivers us or not. He has the final say. And it is our decision to choose to follow Him through it all.
Life is tough, but God is good and He is God – all the time.
* Lord, help us trust to You all the time no matter what comes our way, accepting from Your goodness that You always have the final say in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
