Through the Fire

      
I am starting this blog with a passage from the Book of Daniel, that really blessed me. I believe that it will bless you, too, if you are currently "going through the fire". From Daniel 2:19-30 (New King James Version):

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.

20 And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

22 Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.

23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”

25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire.

27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.

28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel[b] and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!

29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.”

30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.

King Nebuchadnezzar built a golden statue that he ordered the people under his rule to worship. Those that did not worship the statue were to be thrown into a fiery furnace:

4 Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; 6 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, refused to bow down to this golden idol. And as you read in the initial passage, they were thrown into a fiery furnace.

Some things to note about going through the fire with the Most High God to encourage you:

1. Persecution will come. Life will bring its challenges, and children of the Most High God are not exempt. And it seems that persecution is guaranteed when you are doing the right things, serving a holy God. This seems counter-intuitive, but in God's kingdom, logic is surpassed and defied. Living in God's kingdom requires godly wisdom and understanding. It can be said that the Kingdom of God is oxymoronic. Love your enemies. Pray for those who spitefully use and persecute you. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. Give to others to receive. Lose your life to gain your soul. Follow the Most High God and be persecuted. You might be saying, "Now, wait one minute, Ms. Couch Coach. I thought that this was supposed to be encouraging." Be encouraged! Though persecution comes, God always sees us through it, and we are exceeding blessed by it, as our faith is strengthened and our abundance is increased.

2. You are not alone. In Daniel 2:25, King says, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” He recognizes that the "Son of Man" is on the furnace with the three men. Just like the three Hebrew men, as servants of the Most High God, you are not alone when going through the fire. He (the Most High God) is there to protect you and guide you through and out of the fire. Though God allows us to go through the fire, He doesn't make us go through it alone. He is true to His word. He will never leave or forsake you. He is with you always -- through the good and the bad. Through the fires and through the storms.

3. You are freed from bondage. God allows the fire to refine you and set you free, not to leave you bound by hurt and devastation. God allows you to go through the fire to strengthen you and emancipate you from all that held you captive before the fire. We, as children of the most High God, are referred to as [potter's] clay and as iron in the Word. Just as fire solidifies clay and makes it a usable vessel, and just as it removes the impurities from metals, so it does to us. When we go through the fire, God burns away (removes) all impurities from our past that kept us in bondage mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and socially. He, then, shapes and molds us into what He wants us to be, and solidifies us, that we might be vessels worthy to be used by Him.

4. You will not be burnt. The three men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. However, the fire had no power. It was clear that it was God who had the power not the fire. The hair on the heads of the men was not singed and their garments were not affected. God protects us from the same fire that can destroy others, so that you not only will not be hurt, damaged, destroyed or killed, but you will come out liberated, purified, and strengthened. Praise God!

5. You can have a good attitude. Daniel 2:27 says, "the smell of fire was not on them." Having gone through the fiery furnace, not only were the three men not consumed by the fire, they also did not have the scent of the fire left on them. This is a powerful testimony of being able to go through trials and tribulations without having the residue of a bad attitude from having endured the experience. Instead of the expected, overpowering charcoal stench, the men had no determinable smell from going through the fire. Likewise, we, as children of the Most High God, should walk away from our challenges with a positive attitude, knowing that God was with us through the fire, has protected us from it, sustained in it, and brought us through it!

6. God will be blessed. Others will see your testimony. People will not only see that you have gone through such a trying experience unscathed, but they will also see that God's mighty hand was at work to protect you and see you out of it. You will praise and bless God as a result, and others will seek God during their trials, as well. God will be pleased, and He will be blessed through your praise!

7. You will be promoted. Daniel 2:30 says, "Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon." King Nebuchadnezzar recognized the power of the Most High God that the three men served, and they were promoted as a result. They had a better position in the kingdom after having gone through the fire than they had before. You will also be promoted to a new level after going through the fire as a child of the most High God. After the fire, you will promoted to a new level of thinking, a new level of faith, and doors will be opened for you that were not available before going through the fire. As children of the Most High God and members of God's (oxymoronic) Kingdom, the completion of our trials, tribulations, and challenges will bring increase and promotion!

James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Be encouraged! Going through the fire brings positive results!


Jacinta M. Gray,
The Couch Coach