There is a certain passage in the Bible that has always drawn my attention. Every time I read it my heart yearns to reach this level of surrender. I long to have this growth in my faith. But in order to reach that, there are certain difficulties I must go and grow through. And recently, I feel that God has been teaching me a valuable lesson in regards to trusting Him once again.
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.’ “ (Daniel 3:16-18)
I remember going through this very difficult and discouraging moment in my life. I didn’t even know who to talk to about it. I felt so alone in this valley of pain. But as the discouraging thoughts started to fill my mind, I remember what these three young men went through. And I felt the Holy Spirit guiding my heart to say this small prayer over and over again: “Even if You don’t deliver me from this fiery furnace, Lord, give me grace to still choose joy.” I knew that there was a reason why God was allowing me to go through this lonely valley in my life. I could feel that in the midst of this uncertainty, God was teaching me that there was an eternal purpose for what was happening.
There are times in which God places us in trying situations that others might not know about. And it might feel as if we’re alone in that fiery furnace with no one to turn to, no one to rely on; it might seem as if God has left us there alone. And more than likely as we stand there in the middle of discouragement and disappointment, we’ll begin to give up hope. Our faith will begin to dwindle. Yet, are we willing to lift up our eyes unto the hills from whence comes our help and say: ‘Lord even if you don’t take me out of this situation, help me to choose joy.’ ? Could we possibly reach that point of surrender in our lives in which we accept God’s will? Could we then believe that there is a greater purpose to our brokenness?
Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego had seen the Lord’s mighty power before in their lives. They had experienced being in His presence, personally. And they knew that even if God allowed the flames to swallow them up, it would all be for a greater purpose. They would not allow the temptations to overcome their faith. They would not allow the trials to weaken their trust in God. Instead, they chose to fully and unreservedly trust in their God. As we see in Daniel 3:19, even though the king had commanded the furnace to be heated up seven times hotter than usual, these three men chose to stand firm in their convictions. They chose to remember God’s goodness as they were bound and thrown into that fiery furnace. And they truly believed that God would not abandon them, not even for a second.
As we continue to read the chapter, we see how God did not leave them alone whatsoever. He stood in the midst of that fire with them as His peace and joy filled their hearts. The Babylonian king witnessed the Son of God standing in the midst of these three men. To everyone around them, it might have seemed a hopeless situation to be thrown into that burning furnace. No one would have ever imagined that these three men would come out without a single hair burnt or their clothes singed. But the unimaginable happened…God stood with them and delivered them. That’s how our God works in our lives! It may seem as if there is no way out of our difficult situation; it may seem as if no one can help us. But may we never forget that there is a Greater One in our midst, holding our hand as we cross that lonely valley. May we choose to believe that even if God does not deliver us from our fiery trial, there is still a greater purpose to it all.
G R E A T E R
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BEAUTY FROM ASHES 
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