Divine Dialect 

By Pastor Dan Hickling

“Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him.’”—Daniel 3:28 (ESV)

Have you ever had someone in your life you considered beyond God’s reach? Maybe it was an extremely irreligious friend or a relative who was so deep into sin that there was just no way they could be lifted out of that darkness. Or maybe, just maybe, you were once that person, the one other people looked at and saw as a hopeless case. It’s likely we’d put Nebuchadnezzar in this category had we lived back in his day. A ruthless ruler over a pagan nation at the pinnacle of worldly power; a prideful man who claimed to worship pagan gods but really just worshiped himself. Could anyone on the entire planet seem further from becoming a child of God?

But the Lord is able to reach anyone in the dialect they best understand. Nebuchadnezzar understood the dialect of power, and he gets the message that the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had a power greater than his own. This was just demonstrated by miraculously delivering the three men from the king’s death sentence. Nebuchadnezzar respects this power and makes a decree concerning this God they trusted in, saying in verse 29 (ESV), “Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” 

Okay, so Nebuchadnezzar didn’t quite understand the heart behind this God! Keep in mind; however, that at this point he respects God without truly knowing Him. This will come later on in the next chapter. But for now, we can say that God’s power made a significant impression on Nebuchadnezzar—and this demonstration of power was possible because Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stayed true to their convictions and trusted the Lord, even to the point of death.

We need to see this connection, because it’s a connection that plays out in our lives, as well. There are those around us who don’t yet know the Lord. We pray for them, we show them love, we may even share God’s Word with them . . . as we should. But what happens when the door to compromise our convictions swings open to us? It’s in these times that God often reveals Himself to those who need to know Him. When we demonstrate our faith by holding true to our God-given convictions, He speaks in the dialect they can best understand and most desperately need to hear.

DIG: How did God reveal Himself to Nebuchadnezzar? What made this revelation possible?

DISCOVER: How might God be using your uncompromising trust in Him in the lives of others?

DO: Pray today and ask the Lord to bring new opportunities into your life to make Him known. And ask Him for the strength and faith to stand strong in the moments where your convictions are tested.