Praise God from whom all blessings flow! What a wonderful God we serve who loves us with an everlasting love! My heart is so full of joy as I read the book of Daniel. I have read this book many times; the first of which was in 2010 when I was "introduced" to the book by a fellow co-worker. Little did I know that this book would change my life and I want to share a little bit about it with you today.
Here is a bit of background on the book: Daniel, along with his friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (God-fearing men) were natives of Judah under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar (idol worshipper). Though they worked for a king that served idols, they continued to serve God with boldness in everything they did.
So there came a time when the king made a statue (gold image) and wanted everyone in His kingdom, at the sound of a horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music; to fall down and worship it (Daniel 3:5). This was a decree (or a royal order) to do so and those who disobeyed would be severely punished. So word got out that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego did not do as the king ordered and they were brought before him to be punished in the form of a burning fiery furnace. Now this is pretty harsh treatment! Can you imagine being sentenced to burn to death in a fiery furnace? Plus the furnace was heated 7 times hotter than usual because the king was extra furious with them. Probably because they had this to say about their punishment: "...our God who we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up" (Daniel 3:17-18). Now for a king with all his might and power, this is a huge slap in the face! So of course he has to "flesh his muscles" so to speak and turn up the heat. He had mighty men to bind them up and throw them into the furnace. But because the fire was extremely hot, the mighty men who threw the 3 into the fire, died from the flames themselves! So certainly since Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were actually thrown into the fire they are good as gone, right? Well suddenly the king arose and was quite confused. He was sure that only the 3 of them were cast into the flames but instead he saw 4! "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 (Daniel 3:25). God stepped in right on time! As you can see, He didn't step in before they were placed in the fire; God went in with them through the fire and I believe He does the same with us today. He ain't scared y'all! (I just had to throw that in there :) ) So the fire had no power on their bodies, their hair and garments were not singed; as a matter of fact they did not even smell like smoke (Daniel 3:27)! Wow, what a powerful God we serve! He is above all things and everything is in His control. If He tells a fire not to burn, guess what, it has got to obey and it will not burn!
Some of you may be going through or have gone through some fiery trials in your life. All you have to do is trust and depend on the Lord and He will ALWAYS be there for you and with you. It doesn't matter what the situation looks like. The situation may look hopeless from a human stand point but we know that all things are possible through Christ! But just as we should, they took a stand for what they believed in and did not waiver no matter what the king threatened them with; these men were willing to die for what they believed!
I encourage everyone to read this book and I pray that you receive revelations that will help you in your walk towards Christ. Many blessing to all of you!!!
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