Hope for the FutureSample

When The Devil Turns Up the Heat

When it was reported to Nebuchadnezzar that these three Hebrew boys wouldn’t bow down and worship his statue, he was furious. He commanded that they be thrown into a furnace and that it be heated seven times hotter than normal. 

Now, I think that’s funny. Wasn’t the regular temperature of the furnace hot enough to burn up human bodies? Of course, it was! The devil loves to turn up the heat. What a liar.

The furnace was so hot that when the door was opened, the heat killed the strong soldiers who had bound the three friends and cast them into the flames. That’s really hot!

Have you ever had the heat turned up? Have you ever looked into the future and seen nothing but darkness? The pressure can be intense. Yet when faced with a seemingly hopeless situation, these young boys had faith in God. They refused to worship anyone but Him and had even told Nebuchadnezzar, Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 

A little while after ordering the three to be thrown into the furnace, King Nebuchadnezzar went to check on their progress. He looked in, and said, 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. 

Look who showed up in a hopeless situation! Jesus came to their rescue. And those young men weren’t even hurt! When they came out of the furnace the hairs on their head weren’t singed, their clothes weren’t burned, and they didn’t even smell like smoke! Nothing from that experience stuck to them. 

What a testimony! We’re still talking about Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego today. God knew how to rescue those young men, and He knows how to rescue you too, no matter how the devil has tried to turn the heat up on you.

When you obey God, listen to His voice, and follow His lead, you too can walk away from hopeless situations not even smelling like smoke. And those who stand by watching will be encouraged and strengthened and ushered into heaven as well. Your future is bright!