Has God shown himself able to deliver you in threatening circumstances? Are you convinced he is able?

Three young men who were among the Hebrews taken to Babylon refused to worship the king’s golden image, choosing instead loyalty to their most high God.

For disobedience to his royal decree, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered the men brought to him: “do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?…if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning firey furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (see Daniel 3:16-18 emphasis added).

Furious, the king ordered that the furnace be heated seven times hotter and commanded the most mighty men in his army to cast the three Hebrews into the furnace. The flames slew the men who threw them bound into the fire.

Who could deliver Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? It didn’t look good.

What a surprise when Nebuchadnezzar looked in. “Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” He came to the mouth of the furnace and spoke: “ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither.”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerged, their bodies unharmed, their clothes intact, not a hair singed, and no smell of fire.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerged from the furnace, their bodies unharmed, their clothes intact, not a hair singed, and no smell of fire. Click To Tweet

The king said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.”

He issued another decree: “That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, in the province of Babylon” (read the full story in Daniel 3).

What an astonishing climax to a suspense-filled narrative!

The Psalms overflow with statements about God’s ability to deliver—to free, save, snatch away. Listen to King David.

The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.

He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me:

thou hast delivered me from the violent man.

Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.

Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David,

and to his seed for evermore.

Psalm18:46-50

More from David:

“The Lord “delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me” (18:17).

“I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears…The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles…Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all” (34:4, 17, 19).

I love this! “The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants; and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate” (34:22).

“The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants; and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate” (34:22). Click To Tweet

Have you ever been desolate? There’s no shame admitting this. We sometimes walk through desolate places that chip away at our trust. We know God is the only One who can deliver us…but we struggle to find hope that he will.

If you’ve been there, you’ll enjoy continuing this study. Find “deliver” in your Concordance and begin reading verses in the Psalms. Then read all of the “deliver” verses listed.

Nebuchadnezzar said, “Who is that God that shall deliver you?”

The answer: “…I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments” (Deuteronomy 5:9-10).

“For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper” (72:12).

Let me know when you’re convinced our God is still able to deliver! I’d appreciate your leaving a comment, sharing this post, and inviting your friends to subscribe to my blog!

© Dianne Barker 2018