Why Moments 

By Pastor Dan Hickling

“Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!’ Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire.”—Daniel 3:26 (ESV)

Everything Nebuchadnezzar thought he knew was turned upside down as the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego miraculously delivers them. In what can only be described as a supernatural miracle, these men were protected from the flames that consumed everything around them, including the men who threw them into the furnace. 

The king expected to see those who defied his word instantly incinerated, but instead witnesses the undeniable power and authority of the Hebrew God—the same God who gave him an unshakable dream and revealed its meaning to him in the previous chapter. The effect of this fills the Babylonian king with a deep respect for this God that will become the basis of a deeper spiritual experience in the next chapter.

But for now, we need to recognize the impact this miraculous demonstration has on not only him, but on all the other people present here: “And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men” (Daniel 3:27 ESV).

In addition to Nebuchadnezzar, there was a massive delegation of people who saw God’s miraculous deliverance on behalf of His faithful followers. His intervention in their fiery trial undoubtedly left a searing impression in many hearts and minds that there was a true and living God that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego worshipped. 

What were the results of this witness? We don’t fully know. But what we do know is that God did that day what He does to this very day: He revealed Himself through the fiery trials of His people.

Anyone who’s followed the Lord for any amount of time can connect with this truth. We aren’t immune from the fires of affliction. They come to us in the form of financial, physical, relational, vocational, and so many other ways. God allows them in our lives, which seems unloving at first and we have our “Why?” moments. 

But when we look past the trials, we see He has a purpose in this. He allows the trials so that others may see His miraculous intervention on our behalf. God saves His people, and He does this so others who don’t yet know Him get a glimpse of Him through our lives and our trials. Remember this when you feel the heat around you and you wonder why God is letting it all happen. It’s likely for the benefit of those looking on around you.

DIG: How did God reveal Himself to those who didn’t know Him?

DISCOVER: Why do we need to remember this?

DO: Consider how you can filter your “Why?” moments through the principle seen here.