Faith in the Fire

Daniel 3:16-18
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

The thermometer in the car screamed 102 degrees. 

In southwest Ohio, the temperatures are registering in the high nineties. We’ve had storms and electric out. My daughter’s family had no electric for almost twenty-four hours. So what did we do? We gathered at the pool and stayed cool. I am thankful we live in a place where I have the opportunity to swim with my kids and grands. When we left, Sara’s car registered 102.

In all of my almost 65 years, I’ve only had central air since we moved into the condo almost eight years ago. Up to then, I dealt with the heat in whatever way I could. Let’s just say, I’m not a summer person, especially in this heat. But I know as the seasons do, this will pass and before long cooler weather will grace Ohio.

During this oppressive heat, I’ve been reading the book of Daniel, and you can imagine my thoughts on the fiery furnace. Without reservation those brave young men, Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednego, did not fear the heat. They put their lives and hearts in God’s hands. That’s called faith.

We have a lot of negatives going on in our country and in the world. I can imagine the Christians in Ukraine are holding on to their faith for dear life. I love this line in Daniel: “the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know...  we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” These men believed God would deliver them, but even if He didn’t, they continued to have faith in the God they served even if He didn’t save them. They trusted God with their lives and knew He held their future in His hands.

I wonder if I have the faith they did. Can I keep the faith regardless of my circumstances? I pray the answer is yes. I want faith like the men in Daniel. A faith without doubt. I pray God strengthens my faith as I continue on my life’s path.

Have faith, God will see you through.