This morning, I found myself reading a familiar story in the Bible. It was the story of the three Hebrew young men who were thrown into the fiery furnace in Daniel chapter three. This is when the egotistical king Nebuchadnezzar had a huge golden image of himself made and commanded everyone to bow down and worship it. Shadrach, Meshach, Abed-Nego refused to bow, even when threatened with being thrown into the fiery furnace that had been prepared for just such a case. They basically said, “We know God can rescue us, but even if He chooses not to; we aren’t bowing to your image.”
This made the king more than a little angry. “Full of fury” (v.19), he gave orders for the furnace to be heated seven times hotter. He then “commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army” (v. 20) to bind them and cast them into the fire. The fire was so hot it actually killed the men who threw them into the furnace! These big, tough, army men dropped dead from the heat of the furnace! Yet the three Hebrews started walking around in the flames with a fourth man who was “like the Son of God” (v.25). When the astonished king called for them, they walked right out of the fire unharmed.
The only thing burned by the fire was the ropes used to bind them. They came out of the fire unbound and didn’t even smell like smoke (v.27)! What?! As I read this passage today, I felt something stirring in my spirit as an amazing thought occurred to me. The flames meant to kill you are going to scorch your enemy instead! The enemy may be heating that furnace seven times hotter for you, but in the end, it will be the enemy that will be destroyed by the fire! “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good…” Genesis 50:20. Oh, how I love those words… but God!
The enemy heated the furnace seven times hotter, intending to destroy the three Hebrew men, but the flames actually killed the enemy and released the Hebrews from their bonds (Daniel 3). What the enemy planned to use for their destruction, actually set them free and gave them an incredible testimony of the faithfulness of God. What the enemy created to be a means of their destruction actually became the place of their miracle! And before all was said and done, a pagan king was giving glory and honor to the Most High God, who had indeed rescued His faithful servants!
I confess I found myself experiencing a new excitement as I read this story that I had read so many times before. I am so grateful for the way the Holy Spirit works when we are reading the Word of God. How amazing is it that you can read a familiar passage so many times before and then He opens your eyes, enabling you to see a specific detail in a new way? I knew the flames killed the men throwing them into the furnace, but I hadn’t truly considered the relevance of the fact that the tool being used by the enemy only harmed the enemy; it had no real power over the servants of God.
I am reminded of the passage in Colossians 2:2 that says, “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” According to this passage, the enemy has been disarmed and when someone has been disarmed, they are not a threat to you any longer. The enemy likes to try to convince us otherwise, but the truth is that he has no real power over us. The flames may get hot, my friend, but they are not going to destroy you. They are not meant for your destruction; they are meant to be a tool to be used to gain your freedom!
As I read the story of the fiery furnace, I couldn’t help but wonder if those “seven times hotter” (v.19) flames felt intensely hot to the Hebrew boys as they were being thrown into the fire. I also wondered what it was like to walk around in those flames with Jesus. What a story they had to tell! But just for a moment, let’s be really honest with one another, my friend. If we are honest, wouldn’t we admit that we usually prefer that He keep us away from the fire, rather than meet us in the middle of it? Who among us really wants to walk into the flames of a fiery furnace?
Thankfully, He walks through the fire with us, even when we aren’t happy to be there. Something else was brought to my attention as I read this story. When they came out of the fire, they didn’t smell like smoke (v.27). They walked away from their trial, their fiery furnace without carrying the stench of it with them. The question was then raised… do I smell like the furnaces I have walked out of? Oh my. When I go through a trial, do I come out of it smelling? What I mean is this. Do I come out of it with a “stinking” attitude? Do I come out of the trial carrying the stench of a bad attitude with me?
Wow, this one has gotten me to thinking and I’m afraid I may not have come out of some of my trials smelling like I should have! As I consider some of the “stinking” attitudes I have had in the past, I decide that I want to know how to come out of the fire without bringing the smell of the flames I’ve been through with me. And I think I have found the answer. Jesus! When you walk in the midst of the flames with Jesus, you can come out of the fire without stinking! Walking with Jesus in the midst of the flames is the secret to coming out of the fire with a good aroma!
If I want to walk out of the fires I face in my life with a good aroma, then I have to make sure that I am walking with Jesus in the midst of the flames. I have to make sure that I am talking to Him, that I am walking with Him, and that my focus is on Him. You see; the last thing you need to do when in the midst of a fiery furnace is focus on the flames. When walking through the fires of life, keep your eyes on the Master, not on the flames. Your focus while you are in the furnace will determine what kind of condition you are in when you come out of the fire!
My friend, if you are in the midst of a fiery furnace today, make sure you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. He is in the fire with you, beloved; you are not facing this heat alone. The enemy may have heated things up, maybe you feel those “seven times hotter” flames, but please remember this. These flames are not going to destroy you. These flames are going to destroy your enemy in the end! Hold tightly to the One who is walking through the flames with you. He is going to bring you through this and with His help, you can actually find freedom in the midst of these flames.
I know it’s hot. I know you feel like giving up. I know that sometimes it’s hard to see Him through the flames, but He is there. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you” Isaiah 43:2. You have His promise that He is walking through this fire with you. Hold on, dear one. Keep trusting Him and wait for the testimony of His faithfulness that He is going to bring out of this trial that you are going through. You are going to make it through.
It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:6
Katrina Douglas
