In the Old Testament, there is a story about Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego (Daniel 3). These three Jewish men were exiled in Babylon after the fall of Judah. The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, created a golden image around 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide and insisted the people of the nations worship it when they heard the music play. The three Jewish men did not worship the golden image because they worshipped God only. Since they defied the King’s orders, they were thrown into a furnace that was so hot it killed the guards who placed them within the fiery walls.
However, the three men were not harmed by the flames. In fact, not even the aroma of smoke was on their clothing. Nebuchadnezzar saw another man with the three men Who appeared to look like the Son of God—most likely an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ. The King called the three men out of the furnace and glorified God before the people. The men were saved because of their faithfulness and Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-Nego were given promotions.
Today, it may feel like we are in the furnace alone. The fires around us heat up and the impurities in our life rise to the top. These impurities in gold are called dross, and when they rise, they are skimmed off the top to purify the gold. God allows us to go through fires in life, so our character can be purified like gold, and He can skim off the impurities. But we are never alone. Just as there were four individuals in the fire in the Old Testament, we have four individuals in the New Testament.
We live in the New Testament time that began when Jesus performed His Finished Work on the Cross. Jesus died for the sins of the world, so we could be reconciled back to our Perfect Heavenly Father. Jesus said once He sacrificed His life to save ours, He would send us another Advocate (John 14.16). When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Now we have God with us on earth. So when we are in the fires of life, we will have the fullness of the Trinity there with us.
We have God the Creator. We praise Him for creating life, creating us, giving us free will and creating a system of redemption. We praise God for designing us with purpose and surrounding us with family and friends we love. We praise Jesus Who took our crushing on the Cross and allowed Himself to be forsaken by our Creator for three days, so we would never be forsaken and can live for eternity with God in Heaven. And we praise the Holy Spirit for living with us on earth and guiding us daily. The Holy Spirit never leaves us and walks through the darkness with us.
We have three others in the fires with us: God, Jesus and Holy Spirit. We can trust that once we step out of the fires, our character and faith will be purified. Our bounds will burn up, freeing us from strongholds. And not even the aroma of the smoke will be on us. We will come out as pure gold, knowing that the Trinity (God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit) was with us the entire time.
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you” (Isaiah 43.2 NKJV).
You can find this podcast HERE.
Leave a Reply