HOW TO STAND FIRM EVEN IN THE FLAMES

Are you feeling the scorching heat of this world’s fire? Do flares of discouragement and doubt blaze around you? Is the fiery furnace of fear threatening to consume you? How do you stand firm even in the flames?

I hope this Mindful Monday is not too hot to handle because we are going to be walking into the flames today!

JUST STAND SERIES

Thanks for joining me as we continue with our fifth week in the JUST STAND series. It is difficult for anyone to “just stand” during a turbulent storm or after a devastating collapse, but what about standing amid a blazing inferno? God tells us that in this life, we will walk through fire:

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine…when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”

Isaiah 43:2 (ESV)

Did you catch that sneaky little adverb, when? We cannot miss that critical word choice! It means that all of us are destined for the flames. And although those furnaces will differ in duration and intensity, we will feel the heat of death, illness, broken relationships, financial struggles, and suffering at some point in our lives.

Last week, we learned how to defeat 4 LIES OF THE ENEMY WITH GOD’S TRUTH. Arming ourselves with God’s truth before it gets too hot, is the only way we can stand firm even in the flames. If you missed my resource guide DEFEATING LIES WITH GOD’S TRUTH (with several Bible verses), sign up to be an email subscriber today, and I will make sure you get your free download!

FIRM IN THE FURNACE

Many of us cannot picture a fiery furnace without thinking about the Old Testament story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. For those of you who did not grow up using flannelgraphs in Sunday School (yes, you young ones are going to have to look that up!) or watching the VeggieTales: Rack, Shack, and Benny, let me give you a brief synopsis. The story comes from Chapter 3 of the book of Daniel (I encourage you to read it sometime this week if you can.)

• Daniel, and his three friends, Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego, are servants of God living as exiles living in Babylon.
• King Nebuchadnezzar, who has put these men in places of authority in his kingdom, builds a giant golden statue and demands that everyone bow down and worship it…or be thrown into a fiery furnace.
• Everyone bows down except for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
• Nebuchadnezzar freaks out and demands an answer for their willful disobedience.
• They confess to not worshipping the statue and say that their God is powerful enough to save them from the fiery furnace.
• Their refusal enrages Nebuchadnezzar so much that orders the furnace be heated to seven times its normal temperature.
• It is so hot that the guards throwing the three fully clothed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the furnace burn to death.
• As Nebuchadnezzar watches from a safe distance, he is shocked to see that a fourth person walking (all alive!) in the fire who looks like “a son of the gods.”
• Dazzled and impressed, Nebuchadnezzar calls Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego out of the fire. They emerge completely unscathed—to the surprise of all the king’s officials.

(Thanks to Shmoop for helping me with this summary!)

EVEN IF IT GETS HOT

The most powerful and intense moment of the story is how these brave men respond when the threat of being burned alive is imminent. They do not beg for their lives, plead their case, or even defend their position. They steadfastly stand firm believing in the only true God who can save them…even if he chooses not to. Their declaration gets me every time!

O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Daniel 3:17-18 (NLT)

NOT ALONE IN THE FIRE

God does save them from the fiery furnace but not by removing them from the flames. Did you catch that part of the story? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown, fully clothed and bound hand and foot, into the scorching inferno that had just consumed the guards. Instead of rescuing them from the blazing inferno, God joined them in the heat.

Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm and said, ‘Didn’t we throw three men, bound hand and foot, into the fire?’
‘That’s right, O king,’ they said.
‘But look!’ he said. ‘I see four men, walking around freely in the fire, completely unharmed! And the fourth man looks like a son of the gods!’
Nebuchadnezzar went to the door of the roaring furnace and called in, ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the High God, come out here!’ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked out of the fire…not a hair singed, not a scorch mark on their clothes, not even the smell of fire on them!“

Daniel 3:24-27 (The Message)

HOW GOD PROVIDES

We often know how we want God to intervene in the fiery furnaces of our lives, don’ t we? And our plans don’t usually involve getting close to the flames. I want to be rescued before I even feel the temperature go up a few degrees.

I guess that is why the prayer of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is so convicting to me. It is usually not my default position to pray:

God, I know you can save me. I believe that you will come to my rescue. But even if you don’t, I will still praise you. No matter how hot it gets.

But it should be my prayer. I want it to be my prayer. Instead of focusing on God PROTECTING me from the fire, I should be looking for how he PROVIDES for me amid the flames.

God opened my eyes to see how he showed up and not only enabled them to stand firm in the flames but also to walk around freely and unharmed. When the fiery furnaces of our lives threaten fear, death, anxiety, punishment, doubt, and weakness…God promises to walk with us in the flames and provide the following:

YOU CAN STAND THE HEAT

Maybe the temperature is rising for you on this Mindful Monday, dear friend and you are not sure if you are bold enough to pray the prayer of the courageous characters in the Old Testament story. Yes, I know it is hot, and you do not think you can stand the heat. But God is standing with you even in the flames and providing you with everything you need.

The song “EVEN IF” by MercyMe has been the prayer of my heart as I trust God in the fiery furnaces of my life. I hope you can sing along with conviction and hope today.

PRAYERS IN THE FLAMES

Later in the week, I am sending out the acrostic for F-L-A-M-E-S along with prayers and scripture verses for standing firm. This free download will be delivered directly to the inbox of all my email subscribers, so sign up today if you have not already!