The Fire...

Daniel 3:1-27 (Click on reference to read Scripture)

If you are like me, you have read this story 100 times, taught it to various children about 300 times, and seen a cartoon depicting this story many times as well. However, as God's Word is Living and Active (Hebrews 4:12), this story took on a new meaning to me this week.

We all pray for deliverance. We want to be delivered from trying times, health issues, trying people, etc, and we often get frustrated when we don't see the Lord coming through. As we read about the lives of these three men, I wondered what they were thinking. They were so bold, truly believing that the Lord could save them, but EVEN IF HE DOES NOT (vs. 18), they were still going to trust the Lord and act in obedience.

It would have been perfectly within the Lord's power to keep them from having to go into the fiery furnace... but that did not happen. They were bound and thrown in. However, the most amazing thing happened... not only did they survive, but they were able to WALK with Jesus, IN the fire, and when they came out... THE SMELL OF FIRE WAS NOT UPON THEM (vs. 27).

It would have been a miracle to survive, but to not even smell like fire... that is above and beyond. Yes, God could have kept them from the fire, but what blessings would these brave men have been robbed of? They would not have literally walked with God, they would not have seen the overwhelming faithfulness of God so much that they did not even smell like smoke.

So I ask myself this... am I willing to go through the fire in order to see the Glory of God? Am I going to get mad and blame God for not keeping me from the furnace, or am I going to trust that He will meet me there and give me His peace that surpasses all human understanding? Do I have an "even if He does not" mentality?

Isaiah 43:2, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you."