Walking Through the Fiery Trial

Have you ever walked through a red-hot, fiery trial thinking, “What is God doing in this? How is God going to use this particular situation? Right now it seems as though I will be ruined by the effects of this trial that I am going through.”

Well, I’ve been there, sister. I understand. But let’s just take a little exploration through what the 3 Hebrew boys went through. I think you’ll see how God could use certain situations for the better, even when the enemy meant it for the worse.

I was reading in the book of Daniel about the 3 Hebrew boys that were thrown in the fiery furnace. We’ve all read the story, probably multiple times. I know you’ve most likely heard many sermons on this particular story in the Bible. But God just has a way of showing us certain things when we read the Word for ourselves.

“This is a quick recap of the story of the 3 Hebrew boys. Feel free to scroll down if you’d rather not read the recap.”

I’m taking the story of the 3 Hebrew boys from Daniel 2:46-49 and Daniel chapter 3. If you haven’t read it lately, I encourage you to grab your Bible and follow along.

In the last part of Daniel chapter 2, we find that because Daniel was able to interpret the king’s dream, he was highly promoted in the palace and over the province of Babylon. At Daniel’s request, his friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were promoted to high positions in Babylon Province as well.

Yet, we find in chapter 3 where the king’s anger raged at the three young men for standing up for what they believed in…by not bowing down to the king’s idol, that he commanded them to be thrown in a hot furnace. The king, Nebuchadnezzar, was so enraged that he commanded the furnace to be 7 times hotter than what it normally was. The Bible says that the flame of the fire was so hot that it slew the mighty men that were appointed by the king to throw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego into the fire.

If you really think about it, this was a gruesome scene. There were men from the army of the king that were burned alive because of a red, hot fire! We like to look to the end of the story and shout because the 3 Hebrew boys were walking around and God had saved them. But the events leading up to them being thrown into the fire was a scary time.

But God.

These boys that decided to stand up for what they knew was right in the sight of God was now going through persecution. The Bible says they fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. But then, the king himself was astonished at what he was seeing with his own eyes. He saw four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire. And the “form of the fourth is like the Son of God”.

The story doesn’t end there! The very man that was enraged saw God bring His children through the fire. Not only did God bring them through the fire, but there was no evidence of them having entered into the horrible fire in the first place. Their bodies weren’t burned, their hair wasn’t singed, their coats weren’t burned, as a matter of fact, they didn’t even smell like smoke.

Through this, Nebuchadnezzar was made a firm believer of the God that these 3 Hebrew boys served and said there was no other God that can deliver after this sort. He made a decree that no one should speak against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then, he promoted all three of them.

So we find that the 3 Hebrew boys were living the life.

They had been promoted by the most powerful man in their country, they had a good friend in Daniel who was very popular with the king, and they had strong faith in their God. But all of a sudden their world comes crashing down at the hands of the very man that promoted them.

Do you ever feel that way, as if life has all of a sudden come crashing down and you find yourself in danger or persecution? You may feel as though you were standing up for what is right, only to be condemned for your actions.

The 3 Hebrew boys had a strong faith in God. They had told the king that the God they served was able to deliver them from the fiery furnace. I’ve read that the bold faith of these young men bordered on arrogance, speaking so hastily before the king. Their principles were even stronger than their faith. Even if God didn’t deliver them, they were willing to die before disobeying one of God’s most important commandments (Exod. 20:5).

It’s time that we allow such faith to arise and let the adversary know and understand who we stand for. We serve a mighty God who is able to deliver us from anything we go through. But He did not deliver them from the furnace. Nope, God delivered them from the effects of the fire, enabling them to withstand and walk in the furnace. That’s an even more powerful testimony! Having gone through and withstood, than not having gone through the trial at all.

He was there with them, He unbound them and allowed them to walk in that fire.

Where they were thrown down and had fallen because of bondage, He picked them up and released the bondage. Where they should have burned to death before they even entered the furnace (see Daniel 3:22), He allowed the enemy to see them walking in the very place that should have destroyed them.

You have to realize that when you are heading toward disaster and are facing condemnation, there will be your God waiting to cover you and protect you while you walk through the fire. Yes, it can be a scary time. You may not understand or know what the future may hold. Just keep your faith. There is a purpose to this trial that you are enduring.

What happened next is a testimony in itself, the enemy witnessed the triumph of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. You may be in a situation where you feel there are enemies all around. But God is going to use your situation, your trial, your fiery furnace to show the enemy just who He is. Keep standing up for what is right. God is going to allow your enemies to see His work through you. Where you should be forsaken and fallen, He will allow you to shine and stand out amidst the fire. Your enemies will see you rise above and obtain victory.

I think it is amazing as we read about the after-effects of the Hebrew boys coming out of the fire. As I mentioned earlier, there was no evidence of them having been in, or near, the fire. No scent, no burns, no singes, nothing. As God is allowing you to walk through the fire, the covering that He has over you will long last after you exit the trial. The enemy meant it for evil, but God will turn it in your favor. When you see that there is no evidence of the harm that should have been, oh, what a testimony that will be!

Now here’s where it gets good! They were in the fire. They faced something they never imagined they would face. They believed that God would deliver them from this situation, but it seemed as they walked closer and closer to that fiery furnace that death would be their destiny. But in this situation is where they met God.

In the fire is where they met Him. It may seem as though you are facing a situation that you have asked God to deliver you from many times. But do not be discouraged, because this will be the very place that you will find Him. He will be there waiting for you and He will give you the strength and covering that you need to walk right on through.

Because of what the Hebrew boys went through, their enemy saw God as well. In Daniel 4:34-37, we find where Nebuchadnezzar lifts up his eyes and praises God. Through the testimony of these boys, the king was made a believer of what he saw. There are people that I know today that have come through a fiery trial. And because of their testimony, others have found God through it. The same ones who would lash out and persecute them for standing up for what they believed in. God will not allow your trial to go void. He will use you through it for others to find Him.

Do not give up! If you are facing a situation that seems unbearable, hold up your head and say “I know that my God is able” (Daniel 3:17).

There’s one last thing that I want to point out before I end. After all was said and done. After those boys were thrown into the fire. After the king saw first hand the deliverance of God. After the king made the decree that no person should speak against God, lest they be killed. Those young men were promoted once again. Not only were the lives of Shadrach, Meshach and Adbe-nego spared, but they were promoted! You can rest assured that when you have gone through your trial and endured your own personal fiery furnace, God will not leave you the way that He found you.

If you are going through something right now, get ready for others to see your victory. Get ready to be promoted in the Kingdom of God. Get ready for the strength and covering that God brings. You will be stronger in your walk with Him because there you will find Him even more than you thought possible. How do I know? Because I’ve been there. And I am now stronger for having been through the fire!