Delivered from the Fire
Open Your Bible
Daniel 3:1-30, Psalm 27:1-14, Isaiah 43:2
BY Tameshia Williams
Courage under fire. We often encounter situations that require us to stand up for our beliefs, even at the risk of loss. We speak up about an injustice. We blow the whistle on unethical behaviors at work. We refuse to endorse societal values that clash with the truth of God’s Word. We perform these acts of bravery, knowing they can result in loss of our jobs, our relationships, and even our social standing. The pressure to back down can be tempting.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego understood this pressure and refused to let even the threat of death sway them. God had their complete trust; they placed their fate in His hand. When faced with the fiery furnace that was meant to be their death sentence, they declared, “But even if [God] does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up” (Daniel 3:18). What a bold proclamation from these three young men in the presence of such a powerful king! They chose faith in God over fear of a human king. No matter how intense Nebuchadnezzar made the fire, the young Jewish men refused to abandon their trust in the Lord.
Their story gives us a powerful picture of what unwavering faith in God looks like in our own lives. We trust that He is with us, no matter what flames we face. We trust in Him when we are sick, encounter financial hardship, and even lose our loved ones. He promises to be with us through it all (Isaiah 43:2). And so even when the king made good on his fiery threat, God proved that He had not abandoned His faithful ones (Daniel 3:25).
The Lord can also use our faithfulness to change people’s thoughts and actions in ways we cannot even begin to imagine. Nebuchadnezzar marveled at the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego after witnessing their delivery from the fire, acknowledging, “There is no other god who is able to deliver like this” (Daniel 3:29). Even further, he passed a law that forbade anyone else from speaking against God. This allowed other Jewish exiles to worship God without fear of punishment. This all came about because three young men refused to give up their faith.
And what about us? How do we respond when it seems as if everything and everyone is against us? We lean in closer to the one who refuses to abandon us. We trust that as we walk through the flames, He is with us every step of the way.
61 thoughts on "Delivered from the Fire"
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Love this study so much. Thank you SRT!
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To put it simple to say, Daniel works in the inner court. So I guess he works inside the building of the king’s court, his position is high, I guessed he has some kind of his own office. While the other 3 works in an “open field” workplace in Babylonian province
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Agree. Simply to say is Daniel was in the “inner court” / inside a building perhaps he has like his own “office”, while the other 3 is in the “field”/ “ open space workplace”
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Perhaps it was not noticed that Daniel did not bow down because he was in the king’s court but the other three were in the province of Babylon.
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I’m curious about this as well!
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I love this study so far … but I have one question…. why not go after Daniel too instead of just the three men under him… where was Daniel in all of this?
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This reading reminds me of the song “Through the Fire.” The end of the chorus says to just hold on, our God will show up, and take you through the fire again.”
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God doesn’t promise to always save us from the fire like he did with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego but; he promises to ALWAYS be there in the fire with us.
There is another in the fire standing next to me. May I continue to know and trust that MY God is right next to me through it all.
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