Refined - Finding Joy in the Midst of the FireSample

When the three Hebrew men first encountered the fire, Scripture recounts that they were still tied up in their clothes. Their hands were tied to their sides, and their legs were tied together so that they were unable to escape. The powerful and controlling Nebuchadnezzar was incredulous! What he saw in the fiery furnace was causing him to experience dry-mouthed fear and heart-pounding panic. The greatest earthly king who had ever lived saw not three men, but four men in the furnace that had been heated seven times hotter than usual. He also noticed a peculiar and troubling detail concerning these men: They were no longer bound and tied up, but they were loosed and walking about! Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were having the worship service of their lives! While in a fire that had slayed the wimps of the kingdom of darkness, these three courageous, faith- filled men were dancing with Jesus! They were not burning alive, but they were in the presence of the greatest King who would ever live at any time in history. You, my friend, are never alone in the furnace of great affliction. While the flames of your circumstances rage and the heat of the battle intensifies, you are not alone. Will you be brave and faithful enough to worship in the fire? If you can make the courageous choice that was modeled by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Jesus will show up in your fire! The fire may just be the life experience that will loose you from the things of this world that have been used to bind you. Praise is the key, for every believer at every moment in history to get through the fire and not even smell like smoke.