THE
FIERY FURNACE
Kelly had just been pounced on by the cool girls in school. They
had
finally asked her to sit with them at lunch tomorrow. She had
been at
Madison High School for four months now and had been envious of their
popularity, looks, and power. She had been waiting to be invited
to
sit with them at lunch for what seemed like forever. While she
had been waiting for the invite from the cool girls, Kelly had become
really close friends with the math club
members. For the past couple of weeks, she had been going out to
dinner and hanging out with them after practice. Kelly knew if
she
started to sit with
the cool girls now, her new friends would feel betrayed.
That
night Kelly couldn't stop thinking about what she should do tomorrow at
lunch time. Should she accept the offer from the cool girls which
she
had been wanting forever, or should she stay loyal to her friends who
had been so nice and welcoming to her? Kelly finally fell asleep
that
night after at least on hour of worrying. That night she
experienced a
very vivid dream that her guardian angel knew would give her the answer
to her dilemma...
...King
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon crafted
an enormous golden idol that he set up in Dura, a province in
Babylon.
King Nebuchadnezzar gathered all of his princes, rulers, judges, and
all other authority figures in Babylon to show them the new golden
idol. He said to them, "When I sound my trumpet all Babylonians
must
bow down to the ground and worship my golden idol. Anyone who
defies
my demand will be thrown into a fiery furnace!"
Well, a few days
later three Jewish men named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, were
seen praying not to the golden idol, but
praying to their God. The princes who observed this rushed to the
King
crying, "O, Nebuchadnezzar, we have just seen three men, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-nego, worshiping their God and not your idol."
The
king demanded that the men be brought to him immediately.
When
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were in front of King Nebuchadnezzar,
the king inquired about their actions, "Do you refuse to worship my
golden idol when you hear the trumpet sound? You do know the
punishment for such a crime is death in the fiery furnace, right?"
Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-nego replied, "O king, we will only worship our God
in Heaven. He has the power to save us from your fiery
furnace. Never
will we bow to the golden idol!"
The next day the people of
Babylon gathered in Dura to watch as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego
were to be thrown into the fiery furnace. As the King had
demanded,
the furnace was heated to seven times the normal temperature and the
men were bound at their hands and feet. The guards threw the men
into
the furnace where they were immediately engulfed by the flames.
Suddenly, the King saw a fourth figure in the furnace with Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-nego. He asked the guards, "Did you not throw
THREE
men into the furnace?" They told the king, yes, they had only
thrown
in three men. "Then who is this fourth man?!" the King
demanded.
Then,
miraculously, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego appeared at the top of
the furnace unbound and unharmed by the flames. Instantly,
everyone
watching knew who that fourth figure was, indeed, an angel of God.
Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-nego were released from the furnace in the same shape
that they had been thrown into it. King Nebuchadnezzar declared
that
every Babylonian was to worship only the God in Heaven, because only He
had the power to protect men from such a horrific death.
Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-nego were promoted by King Nebuchadnezzar because
they had never wavered in their faith...
... When Kelly woke up
that morning, the first thing that she thought about was the dream she
had that night. She knew that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego
represented herself and that King Nebuchadnezzar represented the cool
girls in school.
When lunch time rolled around that day,
Kelly stayed true to her friends from the math club and ignored the
cool girls' request to sit with them. They were completely
insulted,
but Kelly knew that she had made the right decision. Later that
evening, Kelly went out with her math club friends and had a great
night.
Before bed that night, Kelly thanked her guardian angel for guiding her
through that tough decision.
Author's Note:
Kelly
struggled with a situation that many of us have found ourselves in at
one time or another. It is hard to resist the pressure of being
popular in school, but sometimes being popular won't make you
happy.
Kelly realized that she wouldn't be happy with the cool girls, and
stayed friends with the people she really liked. She needed the
guidance from her guardian angel to help her make the right decision,
just like we all need someone to help us through tough times.
Hopefully next time you face a tough decision you will remember the
story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego and the Fiery Furnace and do
what is right.
The story of the Fiery Furnace
is taken from the book of Daniel from
the Bible. It has always been one of my favorite stories because
the
three men stood up for what they believed in and their faith in God
conquered all. It takes a very strong person to handle peer
pressure,
especially when it is a life or death situation. I have shortened
the
original story from the Bible, but kept the content very similar to
what you would read in the Bible. I have definitely translated
the
language into my own words to make it much easier to read and
understand for the reader.
Bibliography Information: King James Bible. Daniel
Chapter 6.
University of Virginia Library.
Image Information: The Fiery Furnace. Novgorod School. 15th
Century. Weblink.