“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, “Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. But even if he doesn’t, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn’t serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up”  (Daniel 3:16-18, MSG).

     On August 12, 1990, a Russian attack submarine called The Kursk suffered a series of catastrophic explosions. The Kursk was patrolling the waters of the Barents Sea. 118 crewmen were killed over a period of several days. Twenty-three of these men managed to survive for several hours after the first explosion. One of them was a twenty-seven-year-old captain by the name of Lieutenant Dmitry Kolesnikov. He wrote a note to his wife while waiting to die. Two words from that note were displayed in a black frame next to his coffin at his funeral service. He wrote: “Mustn’t Despair.” “Mustn’t despair”.

     I’ve often wondered if in the closing stages of my life I might be given the opportunity to leave one final message to my loved ones. I dreamed of what I might write. I’ve imagined what those closing words would be.

     For Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they chose to communicate a message of devotion to God rather than the preservation of their lives. Similar to Lieutenant Kolesnikov, they found themselves futilely caught in a death trap by the name of Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar was the King of Babylon and the most powerful man in the world. He had issued a decree that everyone living under his rule must bow down and worship a ninety-foot high, nine-foot-wide golden statue. Anyone who refused would be given a death sentence.

     But not Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They defied the King’s order by essentially saying, “If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. But even if he doesn’t, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn’t serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up” (Daniel 3:17-18, MSG).

     Now, those are some pretty bold words to say to a brutal dictator. Ironically, all they had to do was bend one knee and bow their heads. But instead, they chose loyalty over comfort, risk over certainty, and death over life.

     As Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were escorted into the fire, they felt the heat. They waited for the smoke to fill their lungs, the flames to sear their skin, the pain to envelope their bodies. But none of those things happened.  Instead, a fourth man joined the trio in the furnace as one who had the appearance of a god. Many believe this fourth person to be Jesus. But no one knows for certain. What can be known is that this was one of the greatest experiences of their young lives. As things turned out, the furnace was the place where they met God! God chose to deliver Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the furnace, not from the furnace.

     Oh, they had hoped to be saved from the furnace. Who wouldn’t? But God instead chose to save them in the furnace. Jesus often does the same kind of thing with us. Sometimes he saves us from the furnace. At other times, He saves us in the furnace. And I know from personal experience that the furnace is a pretty scary place. The flames are painful. Yet, it is in the fire where he meets us. What’s more is that it is in the fire where our character is forged. It’s in the fire where the greatest lessons are learned. It’s in the fire where greatest power is received.

     Of course, I don’t know this for certain.  The names of these three boys are never mentioned again. But my hunch is that when all was said and done, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were grateful for their experience in the furnace. As hard, as upsetting, as miserable as the fire is, it can become the venue from which our greatest blessings are received.

     Today in America, too many of us have become accustomed to living a comfortable life. However, this blessing too often leads us to pray for the wrong things. Our primary objective is to seek from God deliverance from the pain, the discomfort, the suffering, and the inconvenience of the furnace. We pray, “O God, make my life smooth, make my work easy, and make my journey pleasant. Remove every obstacle, every incline, every sorrow, and every nuisance from my path.” By asking for such things so we place ourselves in danger of side stepping the furnace.

     So, instead of avoiding the fire, friend, I want to ask you to consider doing something harder. I won’t ask you to cease asking God for less heat or for an easier, more secure life. What I do ask of you is to add one additional request to your prayers. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, pray also this more challenging prayer: “Father, let the heat of this season be an opportunity to show you my devotion. Use the fire around me to purify my life and mold me into the image of Jesus. But please don’t leave me in the furnace alone. Reveal to me, instead, your presence and your power.”

     As a pastor, I recognize that there are many people praying to get out of the sweltering circumstance they find themselves in. You may be one of them. A stifling marriage. A heated work environment. A financial disaster. It could well be that God wants to save you from the fire. Yet, it may be even more that He wants to deliver you in the fire. Be encouraged, though. His will be the voice in the furnace you will hear saying, “Mustn’t despair. Don’t be afraid. The flames can’t destroy you. Nor will I ever leave your side.”