For Kids · 4 min with a grown-up
A king builds a giant golden statue and says EVERYONE must bow to it. But three of God's friends won't — no matter what.
Today's Story
The king built a giant golden statue, taller than a tree. He made a rule: when the music plays, EVERYONE must bow down to the statue. Anyone who doesn't will be thrown into a blazing hot furnace.
The music played. Everyone bowed down… except three of God's friends: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They stood up tall. They would only ever bow to the one true God.
The king was furious. “Bow down — or into the furnace you go!”
The three friends said something incredibly brave: “The God we serve is able to save us. But even if He doesn't — we still won't bow down to your statue.”
So they were thrown into the blazing furnace. But then the king jumped up, amazed. “Didn't we throw in THREE men? I see FOUR — walking around in the fire, not hurt at all! And the fourth one looks like a son of the gods!”
God had sent someone to be with them, right in the middle of the fire. The king called them out — and it was incredible: not a hair was burned, and their clothes didn't even smell like smoke!
The king said, “Praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! No other god can save like this!”
A Big Word
Memory Verse
Talk About It
- The three friends said they'd trust God “even if” He didn't rescue them. What do you think it means to trust God even when things don't go the way we hope?
- God didn't keep them OUT of the fire — He was WITH them IN it. When have you felt God with you in something hard?
- It took courage to stand tall when everyone else bowed down. When is it hard to do the right thing when everyone else is doing something different?