Facing the Fiery Furnaces of Life  

Most of you are probably familiar with the biblical account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were the three Jewish men who were thrown into a fiery furnace because they refused to obey King Nebuchadnezzar’s command to bow down and worship a golden image. Over the past week or two I have noticed a social media post that has been circulating which references this incident. It actually has to do with the extremely hot weather many have been experiencing this summer. The post reads, “It’s so hot, I just walked outside and ran into Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.” Yes, I suppose it has felt like an oven or furnace in some places recently.

This account from the book of Daniel reminds us of some important truths we all need to keep in mind when we find ourselves facing the fires of life as we try to faithfully follow the Lord. For one thing, we know that the same God who miraculously delivered those three men from the wrath of a king and his death sentence can still deliver us as we face challenges, difficulties, and opposition to our faith. God is bigger than our enemies and is more powerful than anything that gets thrown at us or anything we might get thrown into. God is able to deliver us.

However, this account should also inspire us to trust God regardless of whether He saves us from the fire or not. That was the attitude of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They basically told the king, “We believe God can deliver us, but if He chooses not to do so, it doesn’t change anything. We will still trust Him, serve Him, and refuse to bow down to your image.” We should have a similar spirit and commitment. It would be wonderful if God would miraculously change our circumstances or change the hearts of our enemies and bring us out of this difficult situation. However, if for some reason He doesn’t do that, we should still be committed to trusting Him and following Him. We can have confidence in His great wisdom and love – that He knows exactly what He is doing and what is best for us. Our love and loyalty to God shouldn’t be based on His delivering us out of our fiery furnace. Trust Him no matter what.

One of the most comforting truths to come out of this account is the fact that God will be with us in our fires. When Nebuchadnezzar looked into that furnace in which he had thrown the three men, he not only was amazed to see them alive and walking around, but he also saw a fourth person in the fire with them. This other individual was so different that the king commented that his appearance was like the Son of God. Whether this was an angel or some pre-New Testament appearance of Christ, there was a divine presence there in the midst of that fire. God was with His faithful followers. And I believe He will still be with us today. Whatever fires we may have to face, we don’t have to deal with them alone. God will be with us – whether to deliver us, or to give us strength to endure it, or in some cases to meet us to take us home to be with Him. Whatever the situation, God will be right there in the fire with His people.

So when you find yourself in the furnace, remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Keep trusting the Lord with the assurance that He is going to be with you either to deliver you from the fire or to see you through it.