Category: The Fourth In The Fire – Shadrach Meshach and Abednego

Daniel 3:26-27 (NIV)
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

Nebuchadnezzar and all the gathered officials from every nation got to see Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego with the fourth in the fire and delivered out of the furnace, unbound, unharmed and free.  As we go into new seasons of outreach on the campuses, in our workplaces and communities, may this be what they get to see in our meetings and our gatherings: us meeting the Lord personally and powerfully in real time and in real space (through the Spirit)!

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for the season of outreach you are taking us into.  As we powerfully encounter you in the fire, may others be drawn in to see you and be led to their own encounters with you!  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship to the song “This Is Amazing Grace” by Phil Wickham (click here).

-BW

Daniel 3:24-25 (NIV)
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”
They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”
25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed…

“When Nebuchadnezzar looked into the fiery furnace, he saw four men, not three. The fourth, he said, “looks like a son of the gods” (v. 25). Later he said he was an angel (v. 28). That is not a bad guess for a pagan polytheist. We, however, know better. We can say with confidence the fourth person in the furnace was the one we know as Immanuel, ‘God is with us’ (Matt 1:23).”
[Daniel Akin, Exalting Jesus in Daniel, p. 49]

“Every day, there is pressure for you to abdicate your faith, abdicate your identity in the Lord and calling in him, to do what the world is doing, to value what the world values…  This is the fire that we are thrown into, and as we once again join into this ‘even if he doesn’t, I will obey and follow and worship the Lord only’ faith – Jesus, God with us, will meet us exactly there, we will see him, walk with him, talk with him unbound, unharmed, free.” (P. Brian message)

Prayer:
Jesus, in the fire and furnace of life in this world, thank you that you are right here with us, protecting us, walking with us, delivering us out of the fire.  Help us continue to have powerful encounters with you.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship to the song “Wellspring” by Leeland (click here).

-BW

Daniel 3:16-18
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

“‘Even if He does not.’… are the ultimate words of surrender that give us lasting strength… Disturbing? Yes! But sublimely liberating.”
[Lloyd John Ogilvie, When You Need a Miracle: Experiencing the Power of the God of the Impossible, Kindle Location 2705]

This “even if he does not” faith is supreme faith that yes, God will answer and deliver, but even beyond that, that our worship and our obedience are not hinged on that deliverance but upon the Lord alone, regardless of the outcome.  What remarkable courage and faith expressed by these three young men, that is also for us today, from the youngest to the oldest!

Prayer:
Lord, in the face of such pressures, help us not give up or give in, but experience and live out ultimate surrender and trust that you are able, you will deliver, and even if you do not, our obedience and worship are unto you alone.  We trust our lives ultimately into your hands.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship to the song “Psalm 23 (Surely Goodness, Surely Mercy)” by Shane & Shane (click here).

-BW

Daniel 2:17-19 (NIV)
17 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven…

Separated for several years from everything that visibly would have represented God and faith to them, these young men, when their very lives were on the line, cried out to God together for mercy.  And the Lord answered!  This is part of the building of the faith of these young men, that the Lord is with them, that he is indeed able to and will step in supernaturally and powerfully to rescue as they cry out to him.

Prayer/praise from Daniel 2:20-22 (NIV):
20 Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
21 He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.

In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Let’s worship to the song “Let There Be Wonder” by Matt Redman (click here).

-BW

Let’s read aloud together the following scripture and prayer:

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Psalm 23:1-4 (NIV)
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
   he leads me beside quiet waters,
3     he refreshes my soul.
   He guides me along the right paths
       for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
       through the darkest valley,
   I will fear no evil,
       for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff,
       they comfort me.

Prayer:  Jesus, truly you are Immanuel, God with us in and through everything we go through as we follow you.  Thank you for your presence, thank you for your nearness, we receive once again the comfort and the courage that comes in you being with us!  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship to the song “I Speak Jesus” by Charity Gayle (click here).

-BW