Oct 28 2024 3 mins 15
He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
Daniel 3:25
You’re Not Alone
Satan loves when followers of Christ are isolated. Like sheep getting separated from the flock, the devil looks for those times when we are alone or isolated away from Christ’s flock. At the very least, he uses our sinful natures to make us think we’re alone and isolated, that no one else is going through what we’re going through, especially if we are suffering for the sake of Christ.
While Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had courageously witnessed to the true God before an angry king, you wonder how they felt before they were tossed, turbans and all, into the blazing furnace. Did they wonder if God would rescue them? Did they wonder if the flames would destroy them as they had destroyed the soldiers accompanying them? Did they hope it would be quick? God’s Word doesn’t tell us what they were thinking, but we are told they were not alone.
As King Nebuchadnezzar watched all this play out, he noticed not just three men in the fiery furnace but four—one who “looks like a son of the gods.” There is good reason to believe that what he saw was an angel sent by God to protect those three men by suspending the physical properties of fire. They came out of that furnace safe and alive without a hint of smoke. The Lord, their faithful God, had not abandoned them in their hour of need.
Nor does he abandon you! We are called to live the lives of courageous witnesses—and that is not easy. Remaining faithful to Christ and his Word often means hostility, skepticism, opposition, and even persecution. Yet we are not alone. The same God who did not abandon the three men will never abandon us. He will always be with us, as he has promised repeatedly in his Word. As he powerfully rescued those three men, Christ has rescued us through his life, death, and resurrection. With Christ, we will never be alone!
Prayer:
O Lord, when the heat of opposition comes my way, shield me from harm and keep me from danger. Never leave me until I join you in the glories of heaven. Amen.
