My niece, Jacquelyn, and her younger daughter, Margaret, were riding in the car and listening to  Christian music. The words of the song playing spoke of Jesus’ death. Margaret, who was riding in the back seat of the car suddenly said, “Wait. Wait. Jesus is dead?” Her mom thought to herself, “Oh boy, how do I explain this to a five year old so she will understand?” So Jacquelyn said, “Yes, Jesus did die. But He came back to life.” Margaret then responded, “Wait! Wait a minute, Jesus can do magic?”

Oh, can He do “magic.” He can turn water into wine, cause the lame to walk and the blind to see, redeem a prostitute and her family, walk on water, heal the sick, speak through a donkey, bring forth water from a rock, part a massive sea, and save souls, just to mention a few of the “magical” things Jesus can do. We see His majestic power on display in the story of three young men found in the book of Daniel:

Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”

They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.” Daniel 3:19-29 NIV

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego could testify to God’s majestic power. They walked out of the blazing furnace without a burn on their bodies or a hair singed; their clothing did not even smell like smoke!

The witnesses to Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine, the crippled man who was healed, the blind man whose sight was renewed, Rahab and her family whom Jesus redeemed, Peter who saw Jesus walking on the water, Balaam’s talking donkey, Moses and the Israelites who witnessed water gushing from a rock and a sea divided in two, as well as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and King Nebuchadnezzar can each declare the “magic” of the Most High.

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. How great are his signs,   how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom;   his dominion endures from generation to generation.” Daniel 4:2-3 NIV

I, like these, can tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation.

Dianne