The Three Hebrew Children

Olivia, a beautiful angel in heaven was walking swiftly toward the throne room to speak to Father God about something she had seen through her window in the side of heaven. She always talked to Him when she had questions about what she saw, and she had just seen something amazing.

“Oh, Father God, it is so good to talk to You again. “

“Yes, I always love talking to you also. What is troubling you this time?” He asked gently.

“I have been watching what is happening with the king of Babylon.”

“Oh yes, Nebuchadnezzar. I know him well. I gave him a dream about a statue made of different metals and clay. He was amazed when My servant Daniel was able to interpret the dream. He recognized that I am truly the God of gods, and Lord of kings, and he promoted Daniel to a high position in his country. Sadly, he has already gone back to his wicked ways.”

“I know, Father God. He built a gold statue 90 feet tall. Then he told everyone they had to bow down and worship it or they would be thrown into a fiery furnace. How could he tell people to worship his statue when he already realized that You are God of gods, and Lord of kings? I don’t understand.”

“Well, Olivia, too many people forget very quickly who I am, and what I have done for them. They are blinded by sin. Nebuchadnezzar wanted to make everyone bow and pray to his statue to prove that he had power over them. It made him feel strong.”

“But, Father, there are three young Hebrew men who love You and serve You. Their names are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.”

“Yes, I know them well also,” He replied. “King Nebuchadnezzar put them in positions of power in his kingdom. I call them my Hebrew children. They are wonderful sons of Mine.”

“Oh, I agree, they are amazing. But the king told all the people that when they heard the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery play in symphony with all kinds of music they had to bow down and pray to the idol at that time. When the music started, everyone bowed down on their knees and started praying to the idol except the three Hebrew children. They stayed standing, refusing to pray to the idol because they know You are the only true God, and they didn’t want to betray You. With all the other people on their knees with their faces to the ground, it was very obvious they were standing and not praying to the idol. There was no place for them to hide. They must have been so afraid.”

“Yes, Olivia, they were very afraid. The king had said he would kill them, and they knew the fiery furnace would be a horribly painful way to die. They also knew the king would have to do what he had said or the people would no longer be afraid of him. So, the Hebrew children knew the king would not back down and forgive their disobedience.”

Olivia said, “When the soldiers saw them refusing to bow down they went and told the king. Then the king went into a rage and demanded the soldiers bring the three Hebrew children to him.”

“When they brought Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to him, he asked them if it was true that they had refused to worship his god. They told him, ‘Oh Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, oh king. But if not, let it be known to you, oh king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image you have set up.’

“The king was so furious he had the soldiers tie their hands and stoke the fire seven times hotter than usual. When he had the soldiers throw them into the fire, with all their clothes on, the flames were so hot that all of the soldiers fell down and died from the heat. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego fell into the flames.”

“Then king Nebuchadnezzar was shocked, and jumped up and said to his counselors, ‘Did we not throw three bound men into the fire?’ They answered him and said, ’we did’. Then the king said, ‘Look, I see four men walking around in the fire and they are not hurt, and the fourth one is like the Son of God.’ “

“The king called out to the Hebrew children and told them to come out of the furnace. When they came out and stood before the king, their hair and clothes were not singed, and they didn’t even smell like smoke.”

“Then king Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, yielded their bodies, that they should not serve, nor worship any god except their own God. Therefore, I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.’ Then he promoted the Hebrew children to higher positions in Babylon.”

“I was wondering, Father God. Couldn’t the Hebrew children just have bowed down but not worshiped the idol. That way the soldiers would never have known they were not praying to the idol, and they would have been safe? What would have happened then?”

“I would have understood that they were afraid and weak, but I would have been very sad that they let their fear stand in the way of them trusting Me. Of course, if they had asked Me to forgive their fear and weakness I would have, but this wonderful miraculous story would never have taken place and been told as a witness to others about Me. This story will be passed down through the years to all generations, and will encourage others to put their trust in Me, and know that I will never abandon them.”

“That was an amazing thing to watch, but You don’t always deliver people when they are in trouble, do You?”

“No,” He replied, “sometimes I deliver them so the rest of the world will hear their story and see that I am God. Sometimes I let them go through the problems, but I do promise that I will always be there with them. I want people to come to Me so I can take away their sin, and mend their heart and life, and when their life is over, they can be with Me. The rain falls on the just, and the unjust. I don’t want people to serve Me just so I will keep them from ever going through hard times. I want them to serve Me because they love Me. Service without love would have no value. “

“Thank You for explaining this to me. I always know that I can come to You with anything I don’t understand and You will always be there for Me. I love You.”

“I love you too, Olivia, and you are always welcome here.”

Daniel chapters 2 and 3

Poor In Spirit

As Olivia, a beautiful angel in heaven, walked toward the throne room, she was thinking about how much she loved to talk to Father God about things. Watching through a window in heaven, she would sometimes see something happen on earth that she didn’t really understand. Each time that happened she would ask Father God about it, and He would explain it so it made perfect sense. Today she had a question for Him.

“Good morning, Father God,” she said as she walked into His presence.

“Good morning,” He replied. “I am so happy you came to talk to Me again. What can I help you understand today?”

“Well, Father God, I was watching Jesus sitting on a hill and talking to a great crowd of people. He told them something I did not fully understand. Could You help me with it?”

“Of course, My child. What did you hear?”

“Jesus told them, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ What does that mean?”

“Olivia, when people talk about being poor, they usually are referring to their finances. Most of the time, when someone has a lot of financial wealth they do not feel like they need God. They believe they can get along just fine by themselves. They see themselves as self-sufficient and say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and do not know that they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. That is why it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. It is a difficult thing for someone insulated by wealth to realize their desperate need for Me.”

“However, when a person is poor financially they realize they can’t make it by themselves. The more difficult life is for them, the more they learn to rely on Me.  The more they rely on Me, the more I can take care of them. Being poor is really a blessing in disguise because they will get to know Me so much more.”

“When Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” He was not saying they should live in spiritual poverty, but they should live in spiritual humbleness. They need to be righteous as I am righteous, but understand that their righteousness is through Jesus and His sacrifice, not through themselves. Make no mistake though, I love every righteous thing they do. My bride, who is the church which is all the saints who love Me, shall be arrayed in linen, and that linen is all the righteous acts of the saints. “

“So you see, Olivia, to be poor in spirit does not mean to live in spiritual poverty. Quite the opposite. I want them to live in spiritual wealth, but they need to understand that the spiritual wealth is Mine, not theirs. Even if they could develop their own spiritual wealth, since they are born into sin, their spiritual wealth could not go on forever. Eventually it would run out. My spiritual wealth, however, will go on forever and will never run out. Because of that, anyone who relies on My spiritual wealth rather than their own will inherit the kingdom of heaven and live with Me forever.

“That is what it is to be poor in spirit. I want them to be righteous and yet be humble and turn to Me for spiritual wealth.”

Matthew 5:1-5, Luke 18:25, 1 John3:7, Revelation 3:17, Revelation 19:8

Faith Hope and Love

Olivia, a beautiful angel in heaven, was on her way to the throne room to talk to Father God. She had found a window in the side of heaven where she could watch things happening on earth. Every time she didn't understand something she would ask Father God about it, and He would explain it to her.


This morning was one of those times. Olivia, as always, was excited to hear what Father God would tell her.


“Good morning, Father God.”

“Good morning, Olivia. I am so happy you are here to talk with Me again this morning. I love our conversations.”

“Oh, Father God, I love You so much, and I would never want to start my day without talking to You.”

“I love you too, Olivia. What is on your mind today?” Father God asked.

“Well, I heard Paul the apostle talking to people about faith, hope and love. He said that the greatest of these is love. I don’t understand why love is greater than faith or hope. It seems like people would be lost without faith or hope.”

“That is true, Olivia, but let’s talk about these three things. First of all, what do you think faith is?”

I think faith is believing in something you can’t see, and you can’t hear or touch. Only one person has ever seen You. That was Moses, and even he only saw the back of You because if he saw Your face he would have died. Very few people have ever heard Your voice, and no one has ever touched you, so they have to have faith that You really exist.”

“That is true, Olivia. They can see what I have created and how I make everything work together perfectly, but they have to accept I really am who I say I am without tangible proof. That is faith.

” So, what do you think hope is?”

 “Well, Father God, hope would be like when someone makes you a promise but there isn’t any proof that it will really happen, so they have to hope it is true. People on earth have seen that everything You have promised has been coming true, one by one. I think that is what gives them hope that the other things You have promised them, like heaven and eternal life with You, are going to prove to be true also. Many people don’t believe in You or serve You. They have no hope, but the people who love and serve You have great hope. So I guess hope is believing your promises are true, without having tangible proof.”

God smiled, “Yes, Olivia, you have a good understanding of hope. Now, the last question is, what do you know about love?”

“Oh, my,” said Olivia, “love is wonderful. It comes in many forms. They love their job, their pets and their homes. They also love the world You created for them, music, and they love life. But the most important kind of love is the love they have for each other. It’s like You said one time, ‘No greater love hath mortal man than to give up his life for a friend. When they really love someone, nothing will ever change that.”

“You are so right,” Father God answered. “Now I have another question for you. Do you have faith?”

“Of course I do,” Olivia’s eyes widened.

“No, you don’t,”

“What do You mean, Father God? How could I not have faith. I am right here with You and I know You are real.”

“And that is exactly why you don’t have faith, Olivia. You don’t need faith, since you are with me. Because you see Me and talk to Me every day. You know Me. You have personal knowledge, and that does not require faith. That means you do not have faith.”

“Oh, I understand,” she said. “That is true, but I had never thought of that.”

“Now I have another question for you. Do you have hope?”

“Oh, yes, Father God. I am living in heaven with You. I know Your promises are real.”

“Yes, you are living here in the fulfillment of my promise of eternal life with me, and that means you don’t have hope, you have the experience. You only need hope for things that are still in the future. Your eternal life is right here, and you are living it. Hope is not needed.”

“So, the last question is, do you have love?”

“Oh, Father God, I have so much love, it is amazing. First of all, I love You more than I can ever express. I also love all the other angels, and the millions of people who have already arrived here from earth. Heaven is overflowing with love.”

“Yes, Olivia. This time you are correct.”

“So, you see, when Christians get to heaven they no longer need faith or hope, so it ceases to exist. But, the love in their hearts gets greater. In fact, their love will continue to grow through all eternity.”

“Now do you understand? Of faith, hope and love, faith and hope will end for each person, some day. Love is the only one that goes on forever. That is why it is the greatest.”

“Father God, thank You for explaining that to me. Now it makes so much sense.”

“My pleasure, Olivia.”