Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King 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 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.”
Daniel 3:16-18
During 2026, Peachtree Church is inviting everyone into Cultivate, a churchwide discipleship plan centered on the fruit of the Spirit and the kind of life God longs to grow in us. Throughout the year, we’ll explore how love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control take shape in everyday life through the Spirit’s work. Cultivate brings together worship, Scripture, group guides, and meaningful practices designed to meet you where you are and support growth in ways that fit your season. These twice-weekly devotionals are one way to stay connected, offering reflection and grounding for daily life with God. Whether you engage in many ways or just one, you’re invited to be part of this shared journey of becoming more rooted in who God has created and called you to be.
Devotional
There is a character in the Chronicles of Narnia, by C. S. Lewis, in the book called The Silver Chair. His name is Puddleglum, and he is a gloomy, sober, Eeyore-like person. He accompanies two children on a challenging adventure that puts them in Underland, ruled over by an enchantress. She wants all three travelers to stay in her Underland, under a spell that makes them forget the Overland, with its sky, sun, and trees, and its glorious Aslan (who is a Christ-like Lion). In the middle of the enchantress trying to put them under her spell, he suddenly and strongly resists the message she’s trying to impose, and says,
“Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things-trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one… That’s why I’m going to stand (our) world. I’m on Aslan’s side even if there isn’t any Aslan to lead it. I’m going to live as like a Narnian as long as I can even if there isn’t any Narnia.”
He stands firmly for what he believes and knows to be true, in spite of coercion, fear of punishment, and a world that is working against him.
In the same way, our heroes Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stand up to King Nebuchadnezzar. He threatens to kill them in the fiery furnace if they do not publicly violate their faith in God and bow down to worship his idol of gold. He is demanding that everyone share his delusion about the idol being worthy of worship when it’s just a thing he demanded be made and set up. It is a symbol of his empty, despotic power.
And they refuse to do it, even on pain of death. They tell the king, “We have a God who is able to deliver us. But even if he does not, we will not worship your golden idol.”
Do you hear their nuanced faith? They believe God has the power to save them, but even if he does not, they still believe in him. They won’t be shaken from their faith.
We all know times when we’ve had to walk through a time of suffering, instead of being spared from it. And God is with us as we walk through illness, grief, loss, and brokenness. God can do something beautiful with the pieces we shatter into, remaking and bringing new life.
Remember the fourth figure seen walking in the furnace with the three friends? Even King Nebuchadnezzar knows it was sent by God. And it was sent not to rescue them…but to walk with them in the ordeal. Was it an angel, or maybe even Jesus himself? We don’t know. But we do know that the three friends were brought out of the fire unburned (and confirmed strongly in their stubborn faith in God)!
For Reflection
- As you look back over your life, can you remember a time when you had to go through an ordeal?
- Can you remember a time when circumstances pushed you to give up your faith, but you held on despite the pressure?
- Can you remember a time when there was no way around it, but you had to keep walking forward in faith AND uncertainty?
- Now that the ordeal is behind you, can you remember God’s presence with you in it, whether it was a sense that he was near, or friends he put around you to support you? What did God do for your faith and for you when the ordeal was over?
Prayer
Dear Lord, I didn’t want to go through the ordeal, through the fire and flood, through the illness or grief or crushing blow. But I had to. And you were with me; now I know that you were with me. You helped me to pick up the pieces and refashion them into a new life, with your presence and your help. Thank you, God, for being in the fire alongside me. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
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Devotionals