Daniel Reflections - Chapter 3

This week's study focused on the familiar story of the three Hebrew children that faced a furnace since they refused to bow to the King's golden image.  I have known the story since childhood and have taught it to kids on numerous occasions.  This week, I saw the story in a way I had never considered.

I don't think I had ever fully realized the faith displayed by the Hebrews.  To stand up with integrity while facing the threat of a roaring furnace took confidence.  I suppose Beth Moore best sums it up when she shows us how these men understood that God was able to deliver them from the fire, or to deliver them by the fire safely into His arms.  Certainly they were hoping for escape.  The alternative was not as bad as it would first appear.  It seems they had overlooked a third option:  God could deliver them through the fire.  Thankfully -- for them and for us -- that's precisely what He did, too!

I see a problem approaching and beg God to deliver me.  When He doesn't, often I begin to feel hopeless.  How blessed to see things from a fresh perspective.  God sometimes permits me to face fires so He can bring me through them and strengthen my faith.  How do we get to this point of view?  We must not neglect to see the mini-miracles God performs along the way.

In Daniel 3, we focus our attention on the huge miracle of the Hebrews coming out of the fire.  Too often, while looking for the big deliverance, we miss seeing God's hand at work.  Did you ever see the miracle that they boys survived their journey to the mouth of the furnace?  It killed the soldiers who led them to their doom, yet they survived.  Coincidence?  Certainly not.  It's an example of a mini-miracle of God.  It's not accompanied by applause or lightning, but if we take notice of it, our faith and resolve are strengthened as we wait for God to bring us through the fire.

I continue to find myself in the middle of my own fiery furnace.  This situation seems to be burning hotter than anything else I have faced and it feels as though I've been waiting for God to show up for a really long time.  This week, I have been encouraged, knowing that I'm not waiting on Him.  Instead, I know that He is already with me in the middle of my fire and is bringing me through it.  So now I'm learning to look for His mini-miracles as I wait for my ultimate deliverance.  In the meantime, I choose to walk around in this furnace with my Lord.  I may not be out of the fire yet, but my Spirit is free because He is with me and I don't have to face the fire alone.