a little encouragement

He said, "Look!  I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."  Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out!  Come here!"  So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them.  They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of the heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.  Daniel 3:25~27

Years ago I learned that that blazing furnace was so incredibly hot that the ones leading them into it would have died as well.  The fact that their captors led them into it and died, but these four were walking around unbound and unharmed is a miracle.  The reason they were led into this furnace to begin with was because they would not bow down to the image of gold Nebuchadnezzar had made.  I love the mental picture I get of an entire kingdom bowing down before this image, and then, there stand Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, these same three who served the Most High God that Nebuchadnezzar eventually subjected himself to.

When times get tough, don't forget Who carries you through...as Paul states in 2 Corinthians 12:10, "For when I am weak, then I am strong."  The Lord allows us to go through fiery times to sometimes get our attention.  Don't ever doubt His love for you, though.  Whether He delivers you through the fire, in spite of the fire or straight into His arms after the fire, He will be right there beside you.

(Some of these thoughts are taken from Beth Moore's study on Daniel.)

Love to all.