The Fourth in the Fire (Daniel 3:19-4:18)
What is of course striking in the account of the fiery furnace is the presence of the fourth person in the flames. God is with his people in the trial. This image is especially relevant in light of what we’ve recently been through here in Napa, but is applicable and meaningful in all trials and challenges.
The image reminds me of Isaiah 43:3 “When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” It also reminds me of John 16:33. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
God never promises to keep us out of the fiery furnace and to eliminate all troubles from our lives. In fact there is no promise that being a Christian means that we will have less troubles in the world than the most crass unbeliever. But we are promised His presence, His love, His strength, and His working in the middle of it. And above all, we have the redemptive cross and victorious resurrection which gives to us the certain hope that the worst of troubles will be undone in the new creation, and that the final glory will so overwhelm the fieriest of furnaces, that there can be no meaningful comparison (Romans 8:18).
So my prayer today is for those who are feeling the heat of the metaphorical flames of trouble. I am praying for their deliverance from their troubles, but above all praying for their faith in the middle of the troubles, that they will find comfort and hope in the presence of the “fourth” in the furnace who has won the victory for them.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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