By Pastor Andrew Farland
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were three Jewish boys who lived under the tyrannical rule a long time ago.
The ruler commanded them to bow down to a large statue of himself, but the three boys refused even though it was customary to show loyalty to the ruler in this way.
Furious with their show of disrespect, the ruler commanded his servants to stoke a fiery furnace until it burned seven times hotter than usual.
Then he sent the boys into the fire. Miraculously, they were not burned.
The book of Isaiah tells us that with faith in God, we may go into the fire but not be burned, and we can go into deep waters but not be drowned.
It was Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s faith that got them out of the fire safely. It was, however, that same faith that brought them to the fire in the first place.
That’s no easy thing to hear, but Christians have no promise that the challenges they will face will be easy.
God uses your faith not to punish you, but to show you its value.
He provides us with plenty of examples of faith’s value, too. God drew Ezekiel to the Valley of Dry Bones to prophesy the value of life. God drew people to the parched lands to hear and learn about prosperity. Time after time in the Bible, God shows us repeatedly that faith always overcomes fear.
If you’re a believer, God will call you to those scary and barren places.
You can expect that your faith will lead you there, but know that that same faith will also save you in your time of need.
Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Be encouraged today because God is with you.
