THE REALITY OF FAITH
By Henry Jaegers
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver 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”.
These words from Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego express the reality that their faith is more than wishful thinking. It’s based on the reality that the God whom they trust is real and capable of action. Although the message focuses on these three brave men, there is another purpose in this message. It concerns the faith of Nebuchadnezzar.
` This subject of faith is greatly misunderstood by many. All men have faith, including the atheist. The problem is that their faith is improperly placed in something that is not true. The most important thing about faith is its object (or the reality of it).
Simply put, as we shall discover in the life of Nebuchadnezzar, there are three (maybe more) phases. First is the information stage. Nebuchadnezzar came to understand that there was a God who could reveal secrets. Now he is about to enter phase two when He sees the reality of faith worked out in God’s servants. Finally, true faith will be realized when He experiences God working personally in Him. That’s in chapter four.
Phase two is now complete as Nebuchadnezzar witnesses the deliverance of God’s servants. He not only knows that there is a God who reveals secrets but also a God who can come through, based on the witness of His servants. Is your faith resting what God has said or on what others have told you?
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