Faith When the Heat is On

Study Notes

Faithful Living in a Faithless World: Faith When the Heat Is On

Daniel 3

     I want you to look back-to-back at two theological statements King Nebuchadnezzar, the powerful but pagan king of Babylon, made about gods in Daniel 3 to set the stage for today’s message:

• “What god will be able to rescue you from my hand (3:15)?”
• “There is no other god who can save in the way Israel’s God saves (3:29).”

    I imagine that most of us at LAC will respond to these two statements in the same way.  To the first, we’ll say, “We are in a personal faith-relationship with the omnipotent God who can save from any kind of power in this world.”  To the second, we’ll say, “There truly is no God who can save like the one true God, the Father of our Lord Jesus.”  Will anyone say “amen” to that?

     Most of us have come to worship today because we have experienced a genuine relationship to the one living God through faith in Jesus.  Indeed, we believe what Jesus said, i.e., that “no one comes to the Father except through me (Jn 14:6).”  These are very exclusive claims, aren’t they?  We claim both 1) that there is no other God and 2) that there is no way to know him except through Jesus.  Those kinds of claims put us at odds with the pluralistic world into which God has placed us.  In fact, I believe that exclusive claims like the ones we make always create tension both for those who make them as well as for those we live alongside.  Those whose lives intersect ours are often offended by our contention that we have discovered the truth of who God is – and that we deeply believe they need to know him too!

     The same was true for three godly men who had been carted off as teenagers from their home in Judah and taken to Babylon, a very diverse and pluralistic city.  I think they have a lot to teach us in Daniel 3 about how to live as those committed to the exclusive claims of the gospel while living in a pluralistic society. 

Setting

     The episode today happens after Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream (Dan 2). Only Daniel had proven able both to tell him what his dream was and what it meant.  The king had marveled at the mystery-revealing-God of the Jews (2:47).  Nebuchadnezzar’s dream had been of an image of a huge statue with a head of gold but with a body made of silver – and then bronze – and then lead – all resting on feet of clay.  In his dream, he had seen that a stone struck those fragile feet and the whole statue tumbled down! 

     Our text today, Daniel 3, flows directly from that dream scene.  It seems that, for Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel’s revelation that his regime was the head of gold that would someday fall became a personal challenge to him. Nebuchadnezzar decided he would not simply wait for this to happen to his empire.  No, he thought he could control things and undo the prophecy.  Early on in chapter 3, we find the king wanted to unify his kingdom, i.e., he thought he needed a kingdom that is completely made of gold – without all those fragmented parts.  And, he would not allow any clay in those feet.  Nebuchadnezzar seemed to think that he could build a kingdom strong enough to resist the impact of the stone.

     I believe the king erected this statue as a practical way to unite the people who were coming into his kingdom from all over the world.  In ch. 1, we saw that he tried to make everyone think like a Babylonian.  In ch. 3, he seems to have concluded that religion could be one way to bring his very diverse people together.  I think his intuition was right.  I do believe that our commitment to one God and his Gospel here at LAC is what will hold together a church like ours.  But, Nebuchadnezzar chose to do this with a god who was not God.

     So, he built a 9-story tall statue (see a similar sized building in Pasadena)

and located it out on a plain just outside the city.  By order of the king, everyone in the kingdom regardless of ethnicity or national origin was to bow down before this statue.  Of course, this brought up a crisis of decision for those who believed that there is only one God before whom they should bow – particularly for three young Jewish men who had risen high in the Babylonian government.  They made the claim that “there is no god other than Jehovah God” even as they lived in a pluralistic society in which people believed in many gods. 

     As we look at Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego navigate this tension of living their faith in their society, we witness the two main problems we encounter anytime we seek to live for one God within a pluralistic society: 1) the problem of tolerance (3:1-18) and 2) the problem of pain (3:19-30).

The Problem of Intolerance: How do we live in a pluralistic world with our exclusive beliefs (3:1-18)?  “We will not, O king, serve your gods or worship the golden image you have set up.”

     Daniel and his Jewish friends were not the only ones who had been transported to Babylon.  There were bright and gifted young men from all the nations Nebuchadnezzar had conquered who had been brought to Babylon for indoctrination.  These young men brought their gods with them – and, those new gods from the many nations joined the list of many gods already worshipped in Babylon. 

     When Nebuchadnezzar told everyone to bow down to this statue, the he wasn’t telling them they could not worship their other gods. The statue was meant to be an all-embracive representation of all the gods that the many different people groups living in Babylon represented.  Given the king’s worldview, he was being religiously tolerant.  All his subjects could worship their god as long as they also submitted to the spirit of Babylon that this statue represented. But, soon this kind of tolerance of all religions became violently intolerant.

     Here’s how this played out in the story:  The king called for a huge celebration, as spectacular as anything you might see today in military demonstrations that dictators put on (like Kim Jong-Un in N. Korea).   Daniel emphasizes the spectacle of it by telling us twice all the names of the dignitaries in attendance -- and three times all the instrument playing in the orchestra!  You have to envision people marching, music playing, crowds shouting and dancing as they go from the city to the plain to celebrate being Babylonians!  The king intended this to be the kind of celebration that declared, “We’re all Babylonians, the greatest nation in the world!”   

     Since this statue was to represent all gods of this very diverse and pluralistic nation, not to bow down would be tantamount to refusing to pledge of allegiance to the state. How Did Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego resist this?  What would you do?  They could easily have justified compromising. I can imagine them thinking, “We’ve got to keep our government jobs to help all the Jewish people now under the rule of Babylon.”  Or, “we can bow down with our knees but not in our hearts.  After all, the king isn’t asking us to deny our own God.?

     But, of course, God’s Word was unmistakable in what it said about that kind of compromise.  God’s command was embedded in their core document, i.e., in the 10 Commandments:  You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I am the Lord your God… (Exo 20:4-5a).

     And, they could not hide.  The young men had been promoted to positions of prominence by the king.  A group of astrologers in Babylon had become jealous of the favor that they had with the king.  Those men hated the Jews (3:8), those people who felt they alone knew the truth about God.  So, they concocted a successful plot that led to Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego being sentenced to execution in a fiery furnace.

     What did they do?  1) They obeyed God, and 2) they dealt respectfully with the people in their world.

#1: They Obeyed God – The king called them in and gave them a chance to change their minds about bowing to the statue.  He made it clear that they had no option in this decision.  He was the one in control (he thought).  So, his words were unequivocal: “If you do not worship the image, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand (3:15)?”

     What would you have done?  Let me tell you that you will have times in your life when you will have to make a similar decision – either to confess Jesus as your Lord or to deny him.  It might be among your friends or in your school or at work.  The words of these young men were as clear as were the king’s: “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up (3:17-18).”

#2: They Dealt Respectfully with the People in Their World -- It’s pretty clear that Nebuchadnezzar’s view of these young men was quite positive up to this point.  But, with their declaration that their God was the only God they would worship, he became furious -- so much so that he had his executioners heat up the furnace sevenfold.  But, other than making it known that the king was not God, notice that they did not speak against the king or engage in violent protest.  They simply gave witness to God – and obeyed him rather than the king.

     And, as you know, God rescued them.  After they were rescued from the furnace and given big promotions (3:30), they continued to work with the other “wise men” who had accused them and to serve the king who had thrown them into a furnace.  They were productive and loyal citizens where they were planted. 

     How do we do this?  How do we identify as followers of Jesus, the only name by which people can be saved, while dealing with those who might mock us or treat us unjustly for doing so?  I think the key is to develop a blend of the courage necessary to be faithful to God in this world and the profound humility necessary to deal kindly and graciously with those opposing us.       

     Their challenge was – and ours is – how to be able to live fully in keeping with our convictions while still respecting others.  As I seek personally to learn how to do this, I find Jesus shows us the way.  When we see Jesus on the cross, we see one who knew and proclaimed that no one is able to come to God except through him while, at the same time, bleeding, serving, dying and offering forgiveness, even to those who reject him. 

    

The Problem of Pain: How do we deal with the unjust suffering that accompanies our faith (3:19-30)? “The king ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual…

     In Daniel 3, the young men experience what we see as unjust suffering. This should not surprise us. We know that our calling is to be faithful to our God. And, we know that faithfulness has always led to opposition as the kingdom of God clashes with the kingdoms of this world.   

     Here is the question:  Why would a God who is all-loving and all-powerful allow godly people like Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego to face a fiery furnace?  You might say, “But they were rescued from it – and, as 3:27 says, “The fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.”  But, notice please that they knew quite well that this is not always what God does.  That’s what led them to say in 3:18, “Even if God does not rescue us, we want you to know we will not serve other gods.”  They had seen their nation plundered by the Babylonian armies and, I’m sure, had witnessed friends being killed as Jerusalem was besieged. 

     So, what does this passage say about faith in a fiery furnace?  Let me tell you that Daniel 3 is one of the most beloved Bible-passages among those in the persecuted church around our world.    And, it’s not because Daniel 3 answers all the intellectual issues we have about unjust suffering.  But, it does address the issues of our hearts. 

     What do we believe that sustains us when the heat is on? 1) perspective, 2) providence and 3) presence.

• Perspective: We believe that death is not the end.

     Never be surprised when you go through fiery trials.  But, please remember that, as a follower of the resurrected Jesus, even the final trial of death can do you no lasting harm.  You know this in ways that these three Jewish men, who lived before Jesus’s death and resurrection, could not have known.  As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”

     Are you in Christ?  When you are, this truth provides a hope-filled perspective for every kind of loss or pain or death in our world.  As the Apostle Peter wrote, “Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.  But rejoice… (1 Pet 4:12).”

• Providence: We believe that God is at work in this world.

     One way that I’ve seen a more secular worldview creeping into church communities like ours is through the mindset that assumes that everything happens – and has to happen -- according to fixed natural causes.  And, of course, they usually do.  But, when we believe in the kind of God you and I believe in, we live our lives aware of the fact that this is our Father’s world and that all that happens in our nation, our church and our individual lives are in his hands.  We use this word “providence” to speak of the reality that God, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe.  Do you believe that?

     Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego were aware of the fact that they had no might to save themselves from this powerful king.  But, they accepted the king’s fiery sentence without despair because they also believed that the battle was not theirs but the Lord’s (2 Chron 20:15).  They were resolute that, if God was calling them to die giving witness to him, then they would trust that plan There are no coincidences in the kingdom of God.

• Presence: We believe that God is with us wherever we go.

     The king’s guards threw three men into the furnace – but, what a shock -- the king saw four!  One of them looked like, he said, “a son of the gods.”  Who was this fourth guest in the fiery furnace?  It was clearly the very presence of God, perhaps even a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. 

     As your pastor, I never want to deceive you by telling you that you will not have to endure times and situations when you too feel the heat in this world.  Following Jesus is not always easy. Furnaces come and go in this imperfect world.  The question is, “Who goes into the furnace with you?

      The God of the Bible is the one you need.  And, what he does is that he enters into our lives in good times – and even more definitively in hard times.  God entered this world through his Son, who experienced all the trials and temptations that we do – yet without sin.  That is to say: God participates in this world with his people.  Never forget this: God didn’t rescue the men in Daniel 3 by pulling them out of the fire but by going in with them!  They stayed there in the fire – but not alone. 

     And the same God is with you!  So, you will sometimes be accused of being intolerant because you have learned that “there is no god who can save like our God” (1:29), as even Nebuchadnezzar had to confess.  As you give witness to that exclusive truth, please be as gracious as these men were.

     And, I am quite sure you will sometimes have to go through unjust suffering in this world.  I ask again: When you do, who goes with you?  I’ll tell you this: God has a way of showing up when the heat is on: in fiery furnaces, ER wards, neo-natal units, university dorms, prison cells and funeral parlors.

     There are no God-forsaken places in God’s universe.  So, I leave you with these words God gave the prophet Isaiah, words written 200 years before the events in Daniel 3:

This is what the Lord says…:
^“When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you…
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze (Isaiah 43:1-2).

Chinese Study Notes

不信實世界的信實生活: 火窯點燃時的信

但以理 3章

        

我先請你們對照看強大的異教巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒的兩個神學宣告，這兩個有關神的宣告為今天的信息做了很好的鋪墊：

• “有何神能救你們脫離我的手呢？ (3:15)”
• “沒有別的神能像以色列的神這樣施行拯救！(3:29)”

我想我們教會大多數的人都會這樣回應說：“我們與全能的神有個人性的信心關聯，他能從世界上任何勢力中拯救我們。” 我們也會說：“確實沒有神能像獨一的真神---主耶穌的父那樣施行拯救。” 每個人都對此 “阿門”麼？

今天我們來教會是因為我們藉著耶穌裡的信心經歷了與永活神的真實關係。我們相信耶穌所說的：“若不藉著我，沒有人能到父那裡（約14：6）。” 這難道不是一個排他性宣告嗎？因為那是在說：1）沒有其它的神；2）若不藉著耶穌，我們無法認識神。這種宣告讓我們在這個多元化的世界受到挑戰。事實上，我相信這類的排他性宣告會在挑戰者和我們之間產生緊張關係。周圍的人也常常因我們辯稱找到了真神並要他們也信神而感到被冒犯。

          這三個敬神的人也經歷了同樣的事，他們年少時從家鄉猶大被帶到充滿多樣性、多元化的巴比倫大城。在本章，他們將教我們如何在一個多元化的社會持守福音的排他性宣告。

        

背景

     今天這一段發生在尼布甲尼撒做了那個困擾的夢之後（見但2）。當時，只有但以理可以講出他的夢是什麼，以及那夢的意義。以色列的神所啟示的奧秘使王震驚（2：47）。他夢到一個巨大的塑像，頭是金的，身是銀的，然後是銅的、鐵的，腳是泥做的。在夢裡，他見一塊石頭擊中了脆弱的腳，使整個雕像轟然坍塌。

     這段經文緊接著那個夢的故事。按但以理的解釋，金頭就是尼布甲尼撒的帝國，有一天要倒塌，並直接威脅他。顯然尼布甲尼撒不願坐以待斃，他想掌控局面不讓預言發生。於是在第三章開始，他要凝聚帝國，讓帝國成為全金的，沒有弱點，他不想有脆弱的腳。他要建立強大的帝國抵抗那塊石頭。

      我相信王立起雕像是要實踐大一統的理想，凝聚全世界來到帝國的人。在第一章，他就要讓每一個人和巴比倫人有一樣的想法。在第三章，統一信仰就是尼布甲尼撒把不同背景的人聚在一起的方法。他的直覺也許對，因為事實上，我們對獨一真神和福音委身就是我們這樣教會的凝聚力；但問題是，他選擇了一個假神。

     於是，他建了一個九層樓高的雕像(看看 Pasadena相似的建築: 

並且讓它立在緊鄰城市的平原。照王的命令，每個在帝國的人，不論國家種族都要敬拜這雕像。這當然給那些單單敬拜獨一神的人帶來了危機---特別是這三個在巴比倫政府居高位的年輕猶太人，他們宣稱“除耶和華以外沒有別神”，儘管他們生活在一個多神信仰的多元化社會。     

     讓我們看看沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌如何面對這張力，在他們的處境下活出信仰。事實上，他們所見證的正是我們所遇到的兩個主要問題，即我們如何在一個多元化的社會中為神而活：1）面對不被容忍（3：1-18）2）面對苦難（3：19-30）。 

面對不被容忍: 我們如何在一個多元化社會持守排他性信仰 (3:1-18)?  “王啊！你要知道，我們決不事奉你的神，也不向你所立的金像下拜。”

     但以理和他的朋友們並不是被帶到巴比倫唯一的一群人。尼布甲尼撒從所征服的各國擄來許多聰明能幹的年輕人，並帶到巴比倫馴化。這些年輕人把他們的神也帶來了---這些從各國來的新神加入了巴比倫已有的多神崇拜。

當尼布甲尼撒命令每個人必須向雕像下拜時，並非不許他們敬拜他們的神。這個雕像代表了生活在巴比倫的不同人群的的眾神之神。就王的世界觀而言，他是有宗教寬容的，只要他的臣民向代表巴比倫精神的雕像屈膝，他們仍然可以敬拜自己的神。但是很快，這種宗教寬容變成了嚴苛的不容忍。
         故事於是這樣展開: 王要召集一個巨大的慶典，就如同獨裁者檢閱軍隊那樣壯觀(像北韓的金正恩) 。但以理書描述了這壯觀場面，兩次提到來參加的顯貴，三次提到樂隊所有的樂器！你可以想像人們遊行、演奏、擁擠著載歌載舞，從城市來到平原慶祝成為巴比倫人！王就要這樣的慶典去宣揚：我們都是巴比倫人，我們是世界上最強大的國家！

         由於雕像代表了充滿多樣性、多元化國家的諸神，不向它下拜意味著不向國家宣誓效忠。那沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌是如何拒絕的？換了你會怎樣做呢？他們其實很容易妥協，我能猜到他們可以這樣想：“我們應該保住我們的政府工作好幫助巴比倫統治下的猶太人”，或者“我們可以膝蓋下拜，心不下拜；何況王並沒有要求我們否認我們的神。”

      但神的話絕不含糊，針對這樣的妥協的話也清清楚楚深嵌在十誡中:  不可為自己做偶像，也不可做天上、地下和地底下水中各物的形象; 不可跪拜它們，也不可事奉它們，因為我耶和華你們的神是忌邪的神 (出埃及記 20:4-5a).

因此他們沒有隱藏自己的信仰。王提拔他們到高位曾引起許多人的嫉妒，這些人恨猶太人（3：8）---好像只有猶太人認識真神。於是他們成功地設了一個圈套，致使沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌被判處扔進火窯的刑法。

 那麼，他們是怎麼做的？1) 他們順服神； 2) 他們也尊重他們世界的人.

#1: 他們順服神 --王召見他們，給他們機會改變主意去向雕像下拜，並且說的很清楚，在這件事上別無選擇！ 王認為自己是主宰，他的話直截了當: “如果你們不下拜，就必立刻扔在烈火的窯中。哪裡有神能救你們脫離我的手呢 (3:15)?”

換了你會怎麼做？我想說你的生活中要做同樣的決定，在朋友、同學、同事面前或者承認耶穌是你的主或者否定他。這三個年輕人的話像王的話那樣清清楚楚: “如果我們被扔在火窯裡，我們所事奉的　神必能拯救我們；王啊！他必拯救我們脫離烈火的窯和你的手；即或不然，王啊！你要知道，我們決不事奉你的神，也不向你所立的金像下拜 (3:17-18).”

#2: 他們尊重他們世界的人 --很清楚，尼布甲尼撒很看重他們，只是當他們宣稱他們的神是唯一敬拜的對象時，王才勃然大怒，以致要把窯燒得比平常熱7倍。但要知道，除了讓王知道他不是神以外，這三個年輕人並沒有對王出言不遜，或搞暴力示威，他們只是見證了神---順服神不順服人。

          結果你知道，神拯救了他們；並且當他們從窯中救出後，得到了很大的提拔（3：30）。他們繼續與那些曾控告他們的“智者” 共事，服事曾把他們扔到火窯的王。他們是神放在那地的忠心有成就的臣民。

         我們要怎麼做呢？當我們面對嘲笑我們的人、逼迫我們的人，我們要如何確認我們是耶穌的跟隨者，認定除他的名以外沒有其它的名可以靠著得救？我想，我們在這個世界既要有足夠的勇氣忠於神，也要有足夠的謙卑友好、慷慨地對待反對我們的人。

          他們所面對的挑戰就是我們的，如何能完全活出信仰同時又尊重他人？從我個人的學習，我發現耶穌已經指示我們了。當耶穌在十字架上時，他就是宣稱“若不藉著我，沒有人能到父那裡去”的那一位，同時又是流血、服事、受死，甚至為拒絕他的人求赦免的那一位。

    

面對苦難: 我們如何面對為了信仰而遭受的不公義的苦待 (3:19-30)? “吩咐人把窯燒熱，比平常猛烈七倍…”

          在但以理第三章，這些年輕人受到不公正苦待，這對我們並不新鮮，因為我們知道我們蒙召是要忠於神；我們也知道忠誠總會帶來反對，當神的國與世界衝突時就會這樣。

          這裡有一個問題：為什麼全愛全能的神容許沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌這樣敬虔人被扔進火窯？你可能會說：“但他們不是後來被救出來了？就如3：27節描述的‘火無力傷他們的身體；他們的頭髮沒有燒焦，衣服沒有燒壞，身上也沒有火燒的氣味’”。但請注意，他們是知道神並非每次都這樣做，所以他們才說了3：18節著名的話：“即或不然，王啊！你要知道，我們決不事奉你的神，也不向你所立的金像下拜。” 他們肯定見過巴比倫軍隊的劫掠，甚至目睹過朋友在耶路撒冷被圍時慘死。

          那麼這段經文是如何講到火窯中的信心呢？我告訴你們，但以理書第三章是全世界受逼迫教會最喜歡的經文之一；不僅因為但以理的三個朋友智慧地面對不公義的苦難，更是觸碰到我們的心。
         我們信仰什麼能讓我們在窯火點起時支撐我們呢？1）盼望 2）神佑 3）同在。

• 盼望: 我們相信死不是終結

          當你經歷火的試煉時請不要驚奇，但一定要記住，作為耶穌的跟隨者，就是死的試煉都不能持久地害你。你知道這些，而那三個生活在耶穌受死、復活前的猶太人卻不知道。就如保羅所寫：“現在基督已經從死人中復活，成為睡了的人初熟的果子。死既借著一人而來，死人復活也借著一人而來；在亞當裡眾人都死了，照樣，在基督裡眾人也都要復活” （林前15：20-22）。

          你是在基督裡嗎？如果是的，那麼這真理將使你滿有盼望地面對我們世上的各種損失、傷痛，甚至死亡。如使徒彼得寫的：“有火煉的試驗臨到你們，不要以為奇怪，好像是遭遇非常的事，倒要歡喜。。。” （彼前4：12）。

• 神佑: 我們相信神在這世界做工

         我已看見一種世俗世界觀慢慢滲入我們這樣的教會，那種理念假設每件事的發生--必須發生的事--是因為某種固定的自然律。但當我們認識神並相信了他，我們生命中就意識到這是天父的世界，一切發生在我們國家、教會、個人生活中的事都在神的手中。我們使用“神佑”一詞來表達神的真實，他有愛與智慧，看顧並指導宇宙萬物。你相信嗎？

      沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌意識到他們自己沒有能力從這個強大的王中救出自己，他們無畏地接受火刑因為他們知道這戰鬥不在乎他們而在乎神（代下 20：15）。他們立志哪怕是神要他們以殉道作見證，他們也信靠神的計畫，因為神的國度裡沒有偶然的事。   

• 同在: 我們相信不論我們往哪裡去，神與我們同在.

          王的衛兵扔進火窯三個人—但奇怪的是，王看到了四個！王說其中一人像是“神子！” 誰是火窯中的第四位呢？很清楚，那是神的同在；也許是道成肉身前的基督。

         身為牧師，我從不想欺騙你們說，你們在世上用不著忍受炙熱。事實上，跟隨耶穌從來不容易。在這不完美的世界，火窯處處在，問題是：“誰與你同去？”

         聖經中的神就是你們所需要的，他所做的就是進入我們的生命---在好的時候，但更多時候是在絕對困難的時候進入生命的。神藉著神子進入世界，經歷了我們人的一切試煉和誘惑，但沒有犯罪。這就是說神與他的子民在世上同在。不要忘記：神拯救這些人的方法不是將他們拉出烈火，而是與他們進入烈火；他們依然在火中，但不孤獨。

         與你同在的就是這位神！也許有一天你不被人容忍而遭受控告，你當知道“沒有別的神能像我們的神這樣施行拯救”（3：29），即使尼布甲尼撒也不得不承認這點。當你見證一個排他性真理時，要像那三個猶太人一樣待人有恩。

          我確信在世上，你有時會經歷不公義的苦難，我再問：你去的時候，誰與你同在？我告訴你：當窯火點著時，無論在火窯，在急診室，產房，學生宿舍，監獄還是追思禮拜堂，神都有他的方法顯現。

          在神的宇宙沒有神丟棄的地方。我將神給先知以賽亞的話送給你，這是但以理書第三章故事發生前200年左右寫的。

這是神的話：

你從水中經過的時候，我必與你同在；你渡過江河的時候，水必不淹沒你；你從火中行走的時候，必不會燒傷；火焰也不會在你身上燒起來 (以賽亞 43:1-2)。

榮耀歸神！

Greg Waybright 博士

主任牧師