“Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!” Daniel 3:25 (NLT)
Some of us have read this story so many times that we’ve become inured to the test of faith Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego underwent. So let’s revisit this passage of Scripture. First of all, these three Hebrews were young when they were taken into captivity (commentators think they were about 13 or 14). While the Bible does not say for sure, it is quite possible they were made eunuchs. Their birth names were changed from Hananiah (Jehovah is gracious), Mishael (One who belongs to God), and Azariah (Jehovah helps) to derivatives of the Babylonian gods.
Not only had these young men lost their freedom and identities, but their very lives were also in jeopardy. Despite the king’s orders to bow down before the golden statue, they refused. The king offered them a second chance, but the Hebrew men stood firm. They were fully committed to God. In the face of threats, they stood the test. Not because they weren’t afraid. Not because they were superheroes. Not because God had revealed the outcome. But because they trusted God’s promises. They knew death wasn’t the real enemy.
God could have changed the king’s mind and liberated them from captivity, but He didn’t. He allowed them to pass through the trial because He had a greater purpose. And in the midst of the fire, God was with them. He stood alongside them in their greatest hour of need. Not only did they survive, but not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothes remained intact. They didn’t even smell of smoke! God was fully, completely in control.
Are you walking through the flames right now? A diagnosis that worries you? A prognosis that instills fear in your heart? A future that seems bleak? A problem that seems insurmountable? God may not remove the trial, but He will walk with you through the trial. The God who promised never to leave or forsake us is the same God today. He will be with you every step of the way. That’s a promise that never expires!