A Rack Shack Moment

The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego (see Daniel chapter 3), has really been laid on my heart lately. Maybe it’s on my heart because I feel like I have been walking through the fire a bit lately. This morning, I pulled out my Bible and began to read again about this wonderful and mighty deliverance. I would like to share some encouraging words with you through this story.

From now on, I shall refer to Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, as Rack, Shack and Benny (compliments of Veggie Tales).

This is a well-known story, but I think the details of this story are often lost. Rack, Shack and Benny were important men. They had been set over the province of Babylon. The king, Nebuchadnezzar, who will be referred to as Ned, had built this huge golden idol and had called all of his officials, which included Rack, Shack and Benny, to come and worship this huge golden idol. They didn’t and according to the Bible, King Ned didn’t even know. It took a tattle tale to come inform Ned.

When Rack, Shack and Benny were brought before King Ned, it is their response that I love so much. They said (I am paraphrasing), “We know that our God, the God we serve, is big enough to bring us out of your furnace and your hand, King Ned.” They went on to say, and this is my favorite part, “Even if God doesn’t deliver us, it’s going to go down in history that we served God, not you King Ned and certainly not your gold statue.” I love that part. Even if God doesn’t deliver us, we want to be known as the people who didn’t follow the crowd. We want to be remembered as the people who stood firm on their faith in the One True God. Even unto death, we stand on God’s side!

King Ned didn’t like this. King Ned was a proud man and he wasn’t going to be embarrassed by these men. So he ordered that the furnace be heated up seven times beyond what it was normally kept at (verse 19). I love this, because Ned had no idea that he was just setting God up to be glorified even more! He was thinking he was going to show them. But God said, “I’ll show you Ned.” When the men took Rack, Shack and Benny up to be thrown in the furnace, the furnace was so hot, it killed the guards (verse 22). That’s one hot fire!

When King Ned saw that Rack, Shack and Benny were in the fire, and they were not alone, he was amazed. You see, Rack, Shack and Benny weren’t just in the fire. They were up, walking around in the fire! They weren’t on the ground, writhing in pain. They were walking through the fire, with God at their side and they weren’t even affected! Isn’t our God amazing?

When Rack, Shack and Benny came out of the fire, they didn’t even smell like fire. Their hair wasn’t singed. Their clothes weren’t burned. It was as though they had never even been in the fire (verse 27)! As a result, Ned glorified God(verse 28-29).

I walked through a furnace this week, but I wasn’t alone. I walked through a fire this week. I had my Rack Shack moment this week! It was hot, and it would have consumed most people. However, my hope is in the name of the Lord. When I woke on Tuesday morning to face the furnace, I woke with this prayer in my heart. “Oh God, you are my hope. You are my strength. You are my defense and my refuge is in you, Oh God (see Psalm 62:6-8).” I am so thankful that I never have to go alone, because I serve the One True God. I serve the same God that brought Rack, Shack and Benny out of that furnace. I serve the same God that brought the Israelites across the Red Sea. God is faithful. He brought me through the fire too!

Sometimes we look at the Bible and we see “stories”. We forget that these “stories” are the Word of God. They are true! They are real! They happened to real people, just like you and me! They aren’t stories. They are real life. They happened! Don’t forget that!

I know we all face the fire. We all face the furnace. But, if you serve the Lord, you don’t have to go alone. I pray that you will face the fires and furnaces this week with the same response that Rack, Shack and Benny had. “I know my God is big enough to deliver me from the fire. I know that He can take the fire out of my way. But even if God doesn’t take this fire out of my way, let it be known that I serve Him. Even if I have to walk through the fire, even if I don’t make it through the fire, I want the world to know that I serve my Lord Jesus!”