With You In The Fire
December 1, 2021·Deborah Clark
In this week’s Pause reading, we find ourselves in the Book of Daniel. And in chapter 3, we find Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in a bit of a tight spot.
They are Jews, exiled to Babylon. There’s a huge gold statue of King Nebuchadnezzar that they are told to bow down to, but they refuse. So, they are brought before the king and told that if they don’t bow, they will be thrown into the furnace.
I love their response:
“We do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
— Daniel 3:17-18
Wow! These guys knew God. They knew who He was — His nature, His strength, His attributes. They knew what God could do. God is able!
BUT, even if He doesn’t save us, we still won’t bow. This is an acknowledgement that we don’t always understand God’s ways, even though we can trust His character. They were confident in who God was, and they were confident in their identity as children/worshipers of God.
Well, they are thrown into the fire, and we see that God was WITH them in the fire. They threw in three guys, but there were four standing in the flames.
Now, God could have pulled them out or extinguished the fire or swooped in and knocked down the statue of Nebuchadnezzar.
Instead, He chose to go into the fire with them.
How often do we find ourselves in the fire? Or in a dark valley or a tight spot? And while we are there, how often do we wish/hope/pray that God will change the circumstances or even remove us from them completely?
And sometimes He does. Peter and Paul both have instances of being set free from prison. Jonah was rescued out of the whale’s stomach.
But other times, instead of changing our circumstances, God shows up right in the middle of them. And He walks WITH us. He encourages us, provides for us, changes us.
When Nebuchadnezzar had them thrown into the furnace, he was so angry that he had the fire heated up seven times hotter than usual — so hot that it consumed the guards who threw them in.
But it says the fire did not harm Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It didn’t singe their hair or scorch their robes. In fact, there was no smell of smoke on them (and if you’ve ever sat around a campfire, you know that is a miracle in itself!). At the end of chapter 3, it tells us that not only were they saved, but the king honored their God and promoted them!
What a great reminder to us that, whatever we are facing, God is with us. He may not always rescue us from the fire, but He will certainly walk with us there.
And as Psalm 30:5 tells us, “…weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”
If you are in the middle of a fire or a valley right now, take a moment to stop and thank the Lord for His presence with you. And remember that morning and rejoicing will come!
Pastor Deborah Clark
