infuse - Facing Your Fiery Furnace

Email article to a friend. Facing Your Fiery Furnace By Noni McVey The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego in Daniel 3 is more than a story of three men who miraculously survived the fiery furnace. The lesson of the story is their unwavering faith in God to deliver them. All these young men had to do was bend a knee to worship the golden image King Nebuchadnezzar had built. If they had done this, no peril would have come their way. But these young men knew the faithfulness of God. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Our God is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace” (3:17); they were also very aware God does not always deliver the faithful from death, “but if not, let it be known…we will not worship the gold image” (3:18). In the midst of despair, they were faithful. Jesus Christ met these three faithful men in the furnace and He protected them. As Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego stood looking into that furnace they must have thought it may be the end. They had no way of knowing whether God would save them or not. Trusting in God’s faithfulness is not always easy. For some, making the decision to attend the Feast of Tabernacles is like entering a fiery furnace. One reason attending the Feast is made difficult is the Fall Holy Days begin when many students are well into their studies. For those with jobs and careers the opportunity to take time off has come to an end with the summer months left behind. It is around this time every year discussions come up about whether one should leave school and work to attend the Feast of Tabernacles. After all, for the student, this is an entire week of missed lectures, quizzes, lab work and tests. For the employed, it is a loss of pay and maybe a job.
In addition to the panic that strikes a young adult just thinking about the repercussions of missing classes or work, there seems to be the idea their presence at the Feast is not important. Along with this belief, many believe there is no way they can be excused from class and be allowed to make up missed work.
God expects the presence of everyone at the Feast of Tabernacles. A very important aspect of the Feast is rejoicing. Deuteronomy 14:26 says not only is the head of the house to attend the Feast and learn to fear God, but it says the entire household is to rejoice before Him. If you, as a young adult fail to attend any of God’s Holy Days, you would not be obeying or rejoicing before the Lord to the fullness He expects and has commanded you to do. Here are a few tips that may help you make this very important decision. Know the laws about religious freedom in your country. Having the facts about what is and is not allowed is crucial. Find out the policy on notification of days off for religious purposes. Whether this is the school policy or the place one works. Remember that a school institution does not deem whether your religion is valid. If they did, it would be a violation of your civil rights. If you find the college or university you attend does not have a policy that will allow you to reschedule exams and turn in assignments due to religious conflicts, go to each professor individually. Should you need it, the church has a letter, which is signed by a minister requesting you be excused. August 1995, Richard W. Riley, Secretary of Education, sent every school Superintendent in the nation a statement of principles addressing the extent to which religious expression and activity are permitted in our public schools. This was on the list: Released time: Subject to applicable State laws, schools have the discretion to dismiss students to off-premise religious instruction, provided that schools do not encourage or discourage participation or penalize those who do not attend. (http://www.ed.gov/Speeches/08-1995/religion.html). The best time to let your employer know you will be taking time off for God’s Holy Days is when you are hired. If you are in a job now and did not do it at the time of being hired, be sure to approach your employer well in advance of the Holy Days to let him/her know how important it is for you to keep these days. Under the First Amendment in the United States, Americans enjoy the freedom to practice the religion of their choice. The primary statue in the area of how an employer may treat an employee is found in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. According to this title an employer cannot discriminate on several bases, including race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. While the employer must make an accommodation for your religious belief, do not make your request a burden. Do what you can to make it work for the employer. Show the employer you truly care about the job and the place it puts him when you are gone. Offer to go in on a Sunday and work, trade shifts with another employee, or put in extra hours before your departure. Remember, the employer has given you a job, don’t disrespect the place he is in when you are gone. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were willing to stand firm and not compromise their faith by worshiping false idols. Deliverance for them was obedience to God. Wholehearted commitment to God under the most difficult of situations is never easy. For those who have not completely decided to attend the Feast, I strongly encourage you to go to God in prayer. Ask Him to give you the power to obey Him with all your heart, soul and mind. He will meet you in your fiery furnace.