Living for God in a Godless Society Part 4Sample

GOD IN THE FIRE

In the previous weeks of the series on Daniel, we’ve seen God give favor to Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as they were trained in Babylonian society. We have also seen God reveal himself through the interpretations of dreams. These four men have been faithful to the Lord while also discerning things that help them build relationships and share their faith. In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are met with a situation where they are standing up and being faithful to the Lord and it seems that it will mean the end of their lives. They know that the Lord will deliver them (Daniel 3:18), even if it might be deliverance through their physical death. Miraculously, the Lord meets them in the fire. Jesus is right there with them, talking with them and protecting them to such a degree that they don’t even smell like fire. This is crazy! Especially when we note that the soldiers who threw them in died because of the heat of the fire. Through their faithfulness, King Nebuchadnezzar comes to a greater understanding of who God is. Today we can feel like we are “in the fire” when we stand up for faith in Jesus. And in those moments we can know, more assuredly than even Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that the Lord is with us because we have the Holy Spirit, who lives in every believer.

Ask Yourself:

-How have I seen Jesus show up when I have felt like I was “in the fire”?

-What am I afraid to face right now?

Pause to Pray: Lord, thank you for never abandoning me “in the fire”. Never let me forget that You are with me. Everywhere. Always. Amen.

Take a Next Step: Make a written record of how Jesus has shown up for you in difficult times so far. Put it somewhere that you can revisit when things are difficult again.