My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”
Daniel 6:22 (ESV)
The stories of Daniel in the lion’s den and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace are likely the two most familiar stories in the book of Daniel. Sanitized versions of these stories are found in most children’s Bibles and often taught in children’s Sunday school. But too often, we have a tendency to leave them there, as popular children’s stories.
But these are much more than children’s stories. They reflect a real spiritual battle that was ongoing in the Babylonian and Persian empires. A battle between the Babylonian and Persian gods and the Lord God, the God of Israel. Would God be able to protect and deliver His people from the power of the most powerful nations on earth, and their gods?
And the answer was a resounding yes. God rescued Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace. And He rescued Daniel from the lion’s den. And in both cases, the ruling monarch acknowledged the supremacy of God and His sovereignty over all of creation.
Why Does God Not Rescue All Believers?
But if God is able to deliver His people from the fiery furnace and lion’s den, why do His people so often suffer, even to the point of death? Why does He not rescue all of us out of the mouths of the hungry lions that eagerly attack us?
There is no feel-good answer to that question that I am aware of. And Hebrews 11:35-38 recognizes that many suffer and die in this life, seemingly without rescue.
But the hope we are called to as believers is not found in this life. Our hope is found in the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ (Titus 2:3) and the eternal life He has for us. And we can trust that, regardless of what might happen to us here, God will rescue us and bring us safely into His presence (2 Tim. 4:18). Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:31-39).
Like Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel, be faithful to the Lord God. Regardless of what you face, trust that He will deliver you. Confidently join with Paul in saying: “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day” (2 Tim. 1:12).
