God in the Furnace

The Christian experience is totally about faith. Faith in something seen is not faith. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”[1] It’s always in something we can’t see…until we’re already into it. Take the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3. They got on the wrong side of King Nebuchadnezzar because they wouldn’t bow to his golden idol. Their faith in the true God infuriated Neb[2] and he turned up the heat, planning to burn the trio alive.

Not only did they refuse the king’s order to bow down, but their faith emboldened them to “speak truth to power” to put it into today’s vernacular. Their response disclosed how strong their faith was, “…He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”[3] They didn’t try to negotiate with God or put Him in a box. They left the decision about their future entirely in His hands.

I wonder if, and hope that,

I would have that kind of faith when faced with my own fiery furnace. The point of the story is this, there was no sign of anybody in the furnace when the three were bound and thrown into the fire. Immediately a fourth “man” was seen walking about with the other three, unbound and unharmed. God could have protected them without showing Himself and it still would have been a miraculous ending resulting in a change in the king. But He chose to honor and strengthen the faith of His servants by confirming His presence. Can you imagine their elation, their joy at realizing they were safe in the company of the creator of the universe?

The Israelites, led by Joshua, were on the move to the promised land. There was a small problem. The river Jordan at this time of year was overflowing its banks.[4] Joshua was a man of strong faith and knew God wouldn’t lead them in an impassable path. As in the account above, they couldn’t see how they would cross but God had told Joshua that when the priests’ feet hit the water, it would be cut off. They literally stepped out in faith and God stopped the water flow about 15 miles upstream and they crossed on dry ground.[5]

What can we take away from these events?

First, God has not and never will change. He’s in the business of giving and growing our faith in Him. Because He’s the same yesterday, today and forever, we can expect the same seemingly insurmountable trials, call them our own personal furnaces and rivers. Second, His deliverance will be in ways that bring glory to Him, not to us and our ingenuity or cleverness. Third, our faith is expanded to new depths of trust in the unseen and with each new trial, we anticipate God’s solution. The result is that our testimony to God’s involvement in His children’s lives becomes a powerful witness that cannot be refuted by scoffers.

I hope you’re experiencing God’s protection and provision as we face uncertain times. It certainly seems like something new and different, from a historical perspective, is exploding all around us. The forces of evil are everywhere, even, maybe especially, in the church. We cannot expect to be kept from it all (“it rains on the righteous and the unrighteous”[6]), but we can trust God to keep us in whatever He allows. Hear an encouraging promise for those of us who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, “The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him.”[7] If you don’t know Jesus, it’s not too late. Check out our “Steps to Salvation” page on this site. It’s the only way to have eternal fire and  flood insurance.

[1] Hebrews 11:1

[2] Daniel 3:13, 19

[3] Daniel 3:17,18

[4] Joshua 3:15

[5] Joshua 3:17

[6] Matt. 4:45

[7] Ezra 8:22