Daniel 3:4-6 NIV
Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”
The world is full of challenges, and it’s almost impossible not to face challenges in one’s life at some point or another. Some challenges are just like a burning furnace, and if care is not taken, they can consume the person experiencing them.
In the above text, the furnace of fire was the penalty imposed on anyone who disobeyed the king’s instruction, and it is not avoidable. However, what will determine if you will be consumed by that fire or that challenge is whether you have insurance over your life or not. In this case, the insurance is the promises of God for those who fear him and are in a good relationship with him.
Isaiah 43:1-2 NIV
But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Psalm 34:7 KJV
The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, And delivereth them.
That God is with you or that you are in a good relationship with God (in most cases) does not stop you from going through the fire, but the fire will not consume you as in the case of Shadrack, Meshack, and Abed-Nego. These men were cast into the fiery furnace with so much anger from the king, thinking they would serve as scape goats to others, but instead of them being consumed by the fire, they were just having “a chat’ in the fire, not because they put on a “fireproof jacket” or they are superhuman beings, but because God was there with them in the fire.
The first thing the devil will do to you when you are passing through serious challenges is to make you hate God or make you stop believing in God. The second thing he will do is separate you from your brethren (your God’s family). You will stop going to church and withdraw from everyone to face life’s challenges alone.
The three Hebrews became a wonder and a testimony to their world just because God was with them in the fire. We must also realize that God wouldn’t have been there in the fire if they had not chosen God above worldly pleasure and fame.
When you are faced with a very challenging situation that is contending with your faith in God, will you still be able to stand on the Lord’s side, or will you silently deny him? If you stand with God, He will protect you from the fire, but if you deny him because of money, friends, or for whatever reason, you will also not find him in that fire with you because he is not used to fellowshipping with you.
Stay with God no matter what the situation may be, and you will surely come out of it victorious and a better person.