I previously mentioned the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in my post Unconditional Faith: Trusting God No Matter What, and this week, I’m revisiting the fiery furnace because something new jumped out at me recently.
God could have intervened in this story by keeping the three men from being thrown in the fire. But He didn’t. Instead, He went with them.
He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. – Daniel 3:25
I think this stood out so sharply to me because I was still thinking about the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The three said even if God didn’t save them, they wouldn’t worship anyone but Him. And what did God do? He stayed with them throughout the whole ordeal.
So often we focus on our circumstances more than the fact that God is there. And His presence is a big deal. God protects us from more than we can ever imagine, but we often focus so much on our circumstances that we pay Him little heed.
In modern times, we may never experience a fiery furnace, but we’ll go through a lot of trials. And sometimes that is what our faith needs most, a trial by fire.
Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. – Isaiah 48:10
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: – 1 Peter 1:7
As I mentioned in my post Adversity: 3 Ways God Can Use Trials, trials can point out sin, realign our priorities, and help us remember that God is ultimately in control. But I think before we focus on why we’re facing that trial, we need to pay attention to Who is with us. Because God said He’d be with us always (Matthew 28:20). And having the King of Kings on our side is a mighty thing indeed.
