25 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
So, I'm turning 25 next week (yayyyyy!!). And last night I had a moment where I started thinking: "I am at the quarter of my life (if I manage to live to a 100) and what have I accomplished so far? What has God done in my life so far? What fruits do I have so far? What is life?" I didn't sleep, so you can imagine I was asking some very philosophical questions.
And then today I started listening to preacher talk about 'Why does bad stuff happen to good people?'. It is a question I've been asked before and I have asked before. Looking around today, with wars, refugees trying to find their way to a better place away from the calamities etc., it makes a lot of people ask the question: 'If God is soo good, then why does he allow evil things, bad things to happen to people?' And I have no answer for that, God is still good, but why do bad things happen anyway?
Well, I wanna use the well known story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to illustrate my point. These were faithful men. In a previous post I wrote about their faith, these men stood up for God's will, against everything and God saved them. But before God saved them, they had to go through the fire, literally and figuratively.
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.
Daniel 3:19-20
They stood up for God's will by not bowing down for any idols and other gods and this is what happens!!! They are going to DIE!!! WHAT!!!???
When the IS started their campaign a lot of Christians were persecuted for not following the beliefs of the IS. The stood up for their faith and they are now with Christ in heaven. And this is a worst case scenario. Standing up as a Christian takes many forms. Not only defying death, but also defying the will of the world. As a Christian in the "free world", "western culture" or however you want to call it, it isn't that easy. There are many distractions, bad things also happen to people in this part of the world. Poverty can also strike you, sickness, grief, pain takes different forms, struggles take different shapes. Something that is a struggle for me might not be a struggle for you, doesn't mean I don't struggle.
It is pretty amazing to think that THE GOD that created everything will stand with ME in the fire. But he does. The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, doesn't only teach us to stand in faith and in the will of God, but it also teaches us that God stands right there with us.
I can't explain why we all have to go through the fire, but I'm sure that God will walk with us through it.
I have a friend, and she is an amazing woman, she has been blessed in many ways. God has used her to raise her children, and they are walking in the faith. And she is faithful to God. She will never let go. But, there is this one thing she has struggled with for a long time. She is alone, and she has always felt alone. She knows God is with her, but it's the physical aspect. She wants a husband. And while raising her children she choose to raise them alone, now she feels like she missed out and she really wants someone by her side. Everyone is grown up and she feels alone. That is her struggle, that is her fire. Being patient and waiting for God to provide that company.
See... we all struggle in a different way, but God is with us while we are in the fire. He teaches us to wait for him, to trust in him.
One more friend, which is pretty similar to my previous friend, her fire, her battle is in her mind. She's insecure, and she doesn't know exactly how to handle it. And I see God is pushing her out of her comfort zone, because that's where God wants her.
I have learned a lot from my fires, and I've been in quite a few, but I was never alone in those fires. God is using them as part of my testimony. They are those milestones in my faith, where I can find strength and see that God has carried me up till here, and he is still carrying me.
Today I want to encourage you to simply get through it. God is in there with you. Maybe God is going to use this as your testimony to help people who are going through this as well. God always had a purpose, even when we move away from his will, he can turn everything into a blessing,
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”
Daniel 3:28-29
God is with you in the fire, Nebuchadnezzar sees him. Can you?
Be blessed, and be a blessing to those around you! You are salt and light!
