Today's Lenten reading is a deep and understandable one. When King Nebuchadnezzar, in the first reading, says that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will not serve his god, he is referring to material objects. He talks about his golden statue that he desires for them to worship. On the other hand, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego say that they will not worship the material statue, even when the king threatens to thrown them into a white-hot furnace, they continue they loyalty to our one true God, willing to die for Him. The king gets mad and casts them into the furnace, but the three men do not die. They stand in the fire, and there are now four men, where the fourth is a son of God. The king is amazed and realizes his own mistakes.
This reading is important to us, because it shows us that if we are willing to be persistent in our belief in God, God will be with us, not matter what. This is further exemplified in the verse before the gospel. It says that "Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance." Showing that the three men persevered through the temptation brought the holiness, therefore causing a son of God, whom we now know is Jesus to be with them and bless them, protecting them from the fires.
This season of Lent, we should reflect on how we are loyal to God. Have we been faithful? What would WE do if we were tempted to give up and believe in a false god? We should persevere and believe in our God, even when temptation strikes.
