I’ve been thinking lately about the times that, in carrying out my God-given assignment, I was forced to walk through the fire until God delivered me from it. However, I found that it wasn’t just having grace in the fire, as typified by the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Adednego, it was also having grace for the fire. Let me explain…

You may remember the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Adednego, who were thrown into a fiery furnace because they refused to obey King Nebuchadnezzar’s decree that, when music was played, every citizen had to worship a golden image:

There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up…

…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: 12, 16 ESV)

Their story demonstrates the importance of faith in God and His grace in and for the trials and tribulations we experience that have no end dates or known outcomes. It also reminds me that, while trials may come, their purpose may be to not only build my faith in God, but also the faith of those who are watching me. Additionally, if I successfully endure the trial, I may receive a promotion of some kind from God (e.g., King Nebuchadnezzar decreed that Shadrach, Meschach and Adednego’s God is the true God and the King promoted each of them!):

…Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.

Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.”
( ‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3:26-30‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

Over the course of the seven years that I’ve shared my spiritual journey with you in this blog, I’ve struggled to trust God when I was unsure as to how the situation would be resolved; I wanted God to be glorified, but I also wanted Him to vindicate me. Those times were difficult and very stressful! After every trial that found my name associated with negative stories about me — that were never true of me — I was often asked how I managed to persevere with poise and confidence. My response then as now is that God gave me Grace In And For the Fire!