Standing Tall for Truth

“Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” —Daniel 3:16-18, NIV.

It’s tough standing up for what you believe is right. Sometimes it gets downright dangerous! These three Hebrew men put their lives on the line to literally stand for truth—everyone else bowed down to Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statute but them. They knew before that potentially fatal moment what would happen but didn’t shrink from the challenge. That’s courage. That’s faith. That’s scary.

Their answer to the king is classic. They fully believed that God could rescue them from the fiery furnace. But since they did not know whether God would be most glorified through granting them life or through taking them through death, they made their statement of faith clear so that everyone would understand. They would believe no matter what God’s decision for them turned out to be.

How many people thought they were fools? What harm would there be to bending their knees? Could they not still believe the truth in their hearts without making a big public issue about it?

No, not without compromising their faith and dishonouring God.

It’s no fun being “the last man standing,” or the last three men standing, when you can already feel the heat coming your way. But standing for truth in a world that prefers to hear what’s comfortable is the way of Jesus. He spoke the truth in love—and truth must be accompanied by love—but He never failed to stand for Truth. To do otherwise would have been to deny Himself because He IS Truth in the flesh. As His followers, we too must stand for Truth if we are to be a reflection of Jesus in a world that needs Him so desperately.

Kudos to the three brave men of Daniel’s day who took the risk, and kudos to those today who take the risk to stand for truth no matter what the cost.