One minute, life is moving along smoothly. The next minute you fall into a tailspin by an unexpected prognosis, the loss of someone or something you held dearly, an unfair assessment, a disappointing result of something you worked hard at, false accusations, or any number of things. I was recently reading through scripture and came across the stories of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They are referred to by many of us as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. After King Nebuchadnezzar and his army had taken over their country these men, along with others, were taken from their homes. The king changed their names, forced them to be indoctrinated with a foreign education, as well as feeding them from his own table (an action that would have been considered an honor-he was wining and dining them) to change their diet. He had plans for them and every change he made pointed to such. For most of these changes, these men went along with it. But they realized eating food from the king’s table, food that literally and figuratively wasn’t kosher for them, would been considered defiling themselves. After some wise and crafty dealings with the chief eunuch, they were allowed a diet that more closely resembles a vegan diet.
Eventually, the king forces these men and those under his rule to worship a golden image. Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego respectfully refuse to do so and are sentenced to be thrown in a fiery furnace. Scripture tells us the king chose his strongest soldiers to bind them with ropes and toss them in the fire (that had been heated to 7 times hotter than normal). The soldiers that threw them in the fire died instantly from the extreme temperature they experienced outside. After a short time passed the king (according to the Septuagint- a Greek version of the Hebrew Bible that was made for the Greek-speaking Jews in Egypt) states he hears praises coming from the furnace. The soldiers throwing them in had died from the heat. Common sense tells us these boys are probably a little ashy by now. When he looks inside he sees the four men walking, unbound (v. 25) and the fourth man he likens to the Son of God. When the king calls them out, I love what Daniel 3:26-27 tells us, “…So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. 27 Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!” Literally, they were thrown in the fire bound but emerged UN-bound and not having been burned– nor did they smell like smoke.
Closing remarks and encouragement: Friends, there’s nothing in the word of God that says we won’t have to go through certain situations in our lives. Scripture even tells us it rains on the just and the unjust (Matt 5:45). This story proves to us God won’t always prevent us from going through the fire, but we can be assured He will meet us there! The ONLY thing that burned off them was the thing that had been holding them bound. Is it possible the Lord allows us to go through the fire to burn some things off us that has been holding us bound? I firmly believe the answer is a resounding–YES! Friends, there’s a greater purpose in the fires we go through. Don’t despise the struggle. Embrace the heat! It’s not there to define you. It’s there to refine you! It won’t be comfortable, but it’s necessary….and it’s worth it.
Have a blessed week, my friends!
Photo by Maxim Tajer on Unsplash