By Megan Blansit
Founder of The Beautiful Movement - a youth ministry for high school girls. For more information, visit The Beautiful Movement’s Facebook page, where I post the time, place, and activity for each month
In Daniel chapter 3, King Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden image in Babylon and demanded that everyone bow down and worship it. Anyone who went against his wishes would be thrown into the fiery furnace. Little did he know how bold Sharach, Meshach, and Abendnego would be! The 3 of them refused to bow down and in Daniel 3:15, King Nebuchadnezzar responds with, “… If you do not worship, you shall be cast at once into the midst of the fiery furnace, and who is that god who can deliver you out of my hands?” Verse 17-20 says, “If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden image which you have set up! Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury and his facial expression was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Therefore he commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than it was usually heated. And he commanded the strongest men in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.” Y’all, the king ordered the furnace to be SEVEN times hotter than usual. Think about the confidence and faith in Christ that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had! The 3 of them were not intimidated by adversity; they knew God could deliver them.
Maybe some of you reading this feel like you are in the middle of a fiery furnace right now. Perhaps things are not going your way and the “heat” is getting a little too hot for comfort. Lets keep reading in chapter 3, because its about to get good! Verse 24-25 says, “… King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up and said to his counselors, did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered, True, O king. He answered, Behold, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt! And the fourth is like a son of the gods!” Isn't that powerful, friend?! The Lord showed up, literally with them in the furnace! Do we not serve that same God? A God who says He will never leave us nor forsake us. A God who is all powerful and all knowing. A God who saves.
The situation you are in may seem terrible right now but I challenge you to look around. Look who is right beside you. Jesus is with you, friend and He is there to help you. No matter the situation, the Lord is with you and He is faithful in the fire. Daniel 3: 27 says, “…the fire had no power over their bodies, nor was the hair of their head singed; neither were their garments scorched or changed in color or condition, nor had even the smell of smoke clung to them.” WOW! What a miracle! Back in the day, I couldn't even go to the bowling alley or to Captain D’s without coming out smelling like smoke. And here these 3 men have been IN A FIRE and don’t even smell like smoke!
This chapter reminds me that Jesus delights in working miracles and that He is forever faithful. Despite the difficult situation, God will still be there with you. He can handle the heat; He doesn't leave when things get “too hot.” I imagine Him getting excited to show himself to you in the fire, in the difficult times. Looking back on my life, my hardest times were the times where I experienced Christ the most. Will you let Him walk with you through the fire? Will you allow Him to work a miracle in your life just like these 3 men in the furnace? Lastly, please, friend, don’t be intimidated by adversity! Jesus is with you, always.
