Daniel 3:27 (ESV)
And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the
king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power
over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their
cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.
Today after a doctor appointment I found myself admitted
into the hospital. My EKG showed some things when combined with some of my
current symptoms that caused concern with my doctor. His recommendation to
check into the hospital and have test done on my heart caused a fear to fall
over me. I prayed to God for the courage and peace that I needed. As I laid in
the bed between some tests I recalled a story I read about George Smith.
No one could say that George Smith didn't have courage. A
daring test pilot in the 1950s, back when the sound barrier was first being
broken, he could face anything? Until he had to bail out of a jet going 805
miles per hour. Though he survived, he was so fearful he thought he might never
fly again. Then, during his hospital stay, a nurse gave him an antidote to
fear. He took her words to heart when she said, "Courage is knowing the
worst and discovering that, in God's world, the very worst can't really hurt
you."
Daniel's three friends experienced the worst that King
Nebuchadnezzar could dish out to them. He not only cast them into a fiery
furnace but also had the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual. The
flames were so deadly that the king's men who cast the three Jewish teens into
the fire were themselves consumed by the heat. But when it was all over, God so
protected Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego that they emerged from the flames
without the smell of smoke on their clothes and without a singed hair on their
bodies.
Nothing can happen to a Christian without first passing
through the hands of an all-powerful God. Furthermore, He is committed to the
protection of those He loves. The psalmist declared, "Therefore we will not
fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the
midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains
shake with its swelling" (Ps. 46:2-3).
The fiery furnace of affliction can bring you pain and heartache,
but it can't cause you eternal harm. God is your protector. You are the apple
of His eye, and under His wings you will find safety forever. We can replace our
fears with faith. We can enjoy God's protection in the hottest furnace of
affliction.
Dear Lord, we thank You that in the furnace of life we
can count on You protecting us. Thank You for being our protector. In Jesus’
Name, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment