If you grew up in a Baptist church and went to Sunday School, you definitely heard the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the Book of Daniel in the Bible.

We first meet these teen boys who were taken (read: kidnapped) by an order from King Nebuchadnezzar from Jerusalem to Babylon. The king had ordered his eunuch to bring some good looking, smart boys that would be suitable to serve in his palace. So here they were. Nine hundred miles away from everything they knew.

As the story goes, we see that although they were now immersed into a secular culture, they chose their God, THE God of the universe, THE Creator of everything, over worshipping the 90 ft. image of the King. This enraged King Nebuchadnezzar and he ordered them to be thrown into a really, really blazing hot furnace.

Y’all, here are the boys you want your sons to be or your daughters to marry. They were strong. They were courageous and they said to the king in chapter 3, verse 17, “If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of the blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, the king. But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.“

These boys drew a line in the sand. They chose the furnace.

No person or no thing could make them deny their God. So what did the king do? He made the furnace hotter and threw the three boys inside. And here’s the kicker: the men who were ordered to throw them in were killed immediately because of the raging heat! And when the king looked in the furnace, he saw FOUR men walking around unharmed!

The mighty presence of God was in the fire with them and when the king called for them to come out, their clothes weren’t singed nor was there any smell of smoke on them!

Does it feel like you’re in a furnace?

I fell into a furnace on December 17, 1987. Actually, I believe it was a few months earlier when I was laid up in bed for four months prior to my son’s birth and also had a 2 1/2-year-old son.

God was with me when I was struggling to keep my baby in my body while lying flat on my back.

God was in the furnace with me when I delivered my son with the umbilical cord wrapped around his tiny neck.

God was in the furnace with me on the third day of my son’s life when he had a seizure in my arms and his heart stopped. And He was with the doctors as they revived him and placed him on a ventilator for six weeks.

God was there in the furnace with me. I am so thankful He could hear my cries over the sound of the raging furnace, and my story proves that when we call out to Him in the fire, He will meet us exactly where we are, holding our hand and leading us. And yes, He might be leading us deeper into the fire, but He will never let go of our hand. I can attest to the fact that it deepened my faith and helped me through the next 15 1/2 years of my son’s life.

Sometimes it seems that the furnace is still heating things up. After my son’s passing, I knew in my heart that he was whole and in heaven, but the pain in my heart was so heavy. It’s easy for others to slap a Scripture on my hurt, but honestly, I wanted to wallow in my grief for a while. And that’s ok. Again, God was with me in that furnace and still is.

My next test by fire was on July 19, 2024.  This was the day I was told I had cholangiocarcinoma and it had metastasized to my liver and lungs.  The tumors were innumerable and if I didn’t start chemo immediately I would have 3 months to live.  Oh, and here’s another fun fact … this cancer has no cure.

Talk about a fire!  I didn’t have much time to think since they immediately admitted me into the hospital and we started on our chemotherapy … adventure.  Not a fun one, by the way, but again, Jesus held (and still holds) my hand two years later.  I don’t know what tomorrow will bring but I know the One who is carrying me through it.

Honestly, how blessed am I to know The Great Physician?  I cannot imagine doing this on my own or without His ‘ peace that surpasses all understanding’  (Philippians 4:7).  

I also learned over the years that praying and worshiping protects my heart from bitterness and regrets. I needed gratitude in all things and not just the blessings. So, when you are tired, when you feel wounded and the weight of your pain is like a raging furnace, this is exactly the time we need to enter the secret place of God’s presence.

Friends, we need our precious Lord. We need Him to revive our hearts and souls and once you are in His presence, be honored that he allows you to carry His joy, His burdens and His Spirit.

You never know what you truly believe in until you have walked through your fire.