I know we read this chapter a couple of days ago, but this keeps rumbling around in my spirit.
Daniel 3:23-27 . . .
So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames.
But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied.
“Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were SECURELY TIED before they were thrown into the roaring flames. The picture I see in my mind’s eyes is that their hands and feet were tied, making them look like logs being added to the fire.
But, when Nebuchadnezzar looked in, he saw 4 men walking around IN the fire UNBOUND and UNHARMED!
Maybe God is just speaking to me, but I’m seeing a picture of how we are to go through “circumstances” in our lives.
The “circumstance” may have us tied securely . . . BUT . . . even while we are yet IN the circumstance, God’s plan is that we go through it UNBOUND and come out of it unharmed and not alone!
How?
By faith . . . “Casting all our care upon Him” . . .
By faith . . . giving thanks “IN” everything . . .
By faith . . . “believing that God is watching over his Word to perform it in our lives” . . .
By faith . . . “the God whom we serve is able to save us” . . .
By faith . . . “even if He doesn’t rescue us, we will not serve or worship any other god.”
By faith . . . we can walk UNBOUND while we are IN the circumstance . . . free to worship and serve our God!
By faith . . . we exit the circumstance unsinged, unscorched, not smelling of smoke!
By faith . . . we are more than conquerors!
3 comments:
Thanks for posting that! That is really a great reminder!
What really spoke to me was the fact that i need to continue to serve and obey and worship while i'm in the midst of the circumstance.
Too often in the last 6 months i've found myself thinking, "I'll do this and that once i'm on the other side of this firey circumstance."
But God's been showing me that i need to develop a right attitude, a right heart and DO the things NOW. Then the circumstance will change.
I'm believing God will bring the change when He sees if I'm faithful and obedient IN the fire (seeing as even non-believers can do well out of the fire).
Great insight! Thank you for posting. Walking unbound in the fire is an awesome picture. And I really love exiting the circumstance unsinged, unscorched, and not even smelling of smoke. Smoke is one of those smells that REALLY stay with you... in your hair even if you've been NEAR a bon fire. Something I have wrestled with God about a little. I happen to believe He is going to rescue us out of this fire and it is only a matter of His timing. (And we know God does not work on our time system.) But I have found in myself a fear that the effects of this hot fire we find ourselves in could follow us for years and years to come because of what I have seen in others' lives. What a beautiful reminder of how God can turn things around! Determined to walk through this fire knowing with faith that when God pulls us out, we can come out unsinged and not even SMELLING like smoke.
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