TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” (Daniel 3:25 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• In our worries over Coronavirus, riots, unemployment, and the economy, we tend to forget that there are other problems going on. Cancer treatments are still taking place. Hunger is very real. And for many, the fear of domestic violence has been magnified by the stay-at-home orders. With so much emphasis on these other issues that are detracting from other real issues, people may feel they are in their own personal nightmares without support.
Today, let’s talk about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were thrown bound into a fiery furnace for their refusal to bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar. When confronted, they told the king, “If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king” (Daniel 3:17). Their faith was beyond all common sense! We all know fire burns, yet their faith was so rock solid, it overshadowed everything else. And we talk about the power of a mustard seed… I want the face-the-fire kind of faith of these guys! As we see in verse 18, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were willing to die in the fiery furnace even if God didn’t choose to rescue them.
You can read the whole story in Daniel 3. But let’s concentrate on verses 24-25. These verses say, “Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, ‘Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?’ They answered and said to the king, ‘True, O king.’ He answered and said, ‘But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.’”
Who was the fourth person in the fire? Growing up, I remember hearing this story and being told there was an angel in the fire. But the phrase is “like a son of the gods.” Well, we know there is only one God and He has a Son. My commentary believes that Jesus, the Son of God was in the fire—not an angel. And I’m inclined to agree. The wording is too specific.
And in my copy of the Believer’s Bible Commentary 2nd Edition, it beautifully wraps up the commentary on this verse saying, “The Lord either saves us out of troubles or He is with us in the troubles.”
Whatever you’re facing, hold onto your faith. Look at the consistency of God throughout the Bible. All who have leaned on Him, He has taken care of… from our Old Testament heroes whom He delivered from the fiery furnace… and even when Stephen was the first Christian martyred—he saw the heavens open and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:56). Whatever you’re facing—Jesus has promised to be with you (Matthew 28:20). He will walk with you through the valleys and even in a fiery furnace if that’s what it takes. But those who have chosen to follow Him never need to fear anything they face. Jesus is there.
Today, as you pray, thank Jesus for His promise to never leave you. Ask the Holy Spirit to encourage you and strengthen your faith this week in whatever fiery furnace your face.
SHARING ••• My Grace-Full Life is written by Denise Heidel. You are welcome to share anything I write, but please credit my writing and graphics accordingly. Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Subscribe through my website to have My Grace-Full Life delivered to your email. You can unsubscribe at any time. Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
