A Nugget from New Life Network
(based on sermon by Pastor Eddie Adams)
Scripture for the Day (September 4, 2017)
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. (Isaiah 43:2)
Do you remember the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the Book of Daniel (Chapter 3:12-30)? Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian King, had made a decree that all men would worship the golden image he had created or be thrown into a fiery furnace. It was reported to the King that there were three Jews (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), who were managers of certain state affairs in Babylon, would not worship the golden image.
King Nebuchadnezzar became very angry and had these three men brought to him. The King gave them an opportunity to repent and worship the image but the three men refused. That made the King even angrier. The King told his most mighty men to heat the furnace up seven times more than normal, to bind them, and to throw these three Jews into the furnace fully clothed. The furnace was so hot that the King’s men that threw them in were immediately burned to death at the door of the furnace.
Have you ever been in a situation where you felt you were in the midst of a fire? Everything around you was falling apart. Nothing was going right. Your finances, health, marriage, children, job and everything you touched seemed to be going downhill. There was a storm on every front. You were depressed and in despair. It just seemed like the devil was heating things up seven times more than normal.
Well, I want you to think about this. Thank God you made it to the fire! You could have died at the door. The fact that you made it to the fire should tell you that something good is going to come out of this. God is going to take what the enemy meant for harm and turn it for the good.
When King Nebuchadnezzar looked into the furnace he was astonished when he saw four men. These men were loose (not bound), were not hurt, and were walking around in the middle of the furnace. The fourth man looked like the Son of God. The fire had no power over these men. When the King saw this he told the three men to come forth out of the furnace. He blessed the three and then made the following
decree:
Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon. (Daniel 3:29-30)
Being in the fire does not necessarily mean failure. It could mean promotion. Being in the fire does not necessarily mean that God has left you alone. On the contrary, He is the fourth man that will never leave you nor forsake you. He will be in the fire with you. The very fire that was meant to wipe you out may be the very fire that liberates and elevates you.
Each reader of this devotional needs to reflect on their past. Some of you could have been in jail now if not for that fourth man. Some of you could be addicted to drugs or in an insane asylum if not for that fourth man. Some of you could have been dead many times over if not for that fourth man.
Thank God we made it to the fire and didn’t die at the door! Something good is going to come out of this fire!
