Out of the Fire

Daniel 3:19-27 (KJV) Says, "Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was hanged against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded  the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. "

In the above passage of scripture the king, Nebuchadnezzar, had Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego thrown into a fiery furnace because they refused to worship a golden image; that he had commanded  by decree everyone must worship. These three men continued to openly worship the one and only true God. Now the king was so angry at them for refusing his command that he had the furnace turned up; making it seven times hotter than it usually was. It was so hot that the heat killed the men who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into it. Note that the scripture says the king was astonished at what he saw when he looked into the furnace, and he questioned his counselors on the number of men that were cast into the fire in order to confirm how many it had been. He knew that they had thrown three men into that furnace, but when he looked he saw four, and one of them he stated was like the Son of God. Also note that the king saw them walking around in the middle of the fire even though they were bound when they were thrown in. The king also noticed that the men were in no way harmed. The counselors confirmed it was indeed three men that had been thrown into the fire, and the king then ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego out of the furnace, now calling them servants of the most high God. Once out of the fiery furnace, it was clear that the fire had no power over their bodies. Not one hair on their heads was singed, their clothes were not burned, and they didn't even smell like smoke. It's made clear by all the evidence presented that those men weren't walking in that furnace alone.

We may not literally walk around in the middle of a fiery furnace, but it is certain that we will walk through fiery trials in our lives. Have you ever been through a time in your life, when you felt as though the pressures of the world were coming at you from all sides? Have you ever thought that you were facing so many trials at once that you simply couldn't handle them all? Have you ever felt pulled in a hundred directions? Have you ever felt that all your problems were caving in on you?  I think we all have at one time or another; in fact I would venture to say most of us have experienced these feelings more than once. There are many types of trials such as relationship issues, financial problems, sickness, difficulties on the job, the death of a loved one, and that's just to name a few. Sometimes we have more than one of these issues come down on us at the same time, and when that happens it can definitely be defined as a fiery trial. Situations like this may leave us with a heavy heart; especially if our trial involves someone we love dearly falling ill or passing away. God understands that these things leave us with a heavy heart, and it is perfectly normal to be sad, and to mourn, but as we do let's keep in mind that we have Almighty God to lean on.

We are blessed tremendously, in that we have hope in Christ. Most people would have given Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego up for dead, when they were thrown into that fiery furnace, but because they had faith in God, and he was standing with them even fire was harmless in their case.
We are not promised that we won't face trials, and temptations in our lives, but  we are promised that God will never leave nor forsake us. We are promised that He will hold our hand, and that He will lead us through our storms. God has never broken a promise. Friends if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you are never alone. The Holy Spirit dwells in you, and is therefore everywhere you go, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. I urge you to remind yourself of these things if you've recently; or are currently experiencing a fiery trial. I've been going through one myself over the past month or so, and it's been with a heavy heart because one of my issues is that someone I love more than words could ever convey is quite ill. I have hope, and faith in God, and I trust him with all that I am. He is my rock, and  I find strength, comfort, and rest in Him knowing that just as He did with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego He will walk through this trial with me, and He will bring me out of the fire. Friends, the next time you are facing a fiery trial in your life, I urge you to remain steadfast in your faith, and to remember you're not walking in the furnace alone.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.