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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 5 of 5
Daniel 3:19-30
This chapter shows us what the faithful must do, what Satan can do, but also what God does. "Fear not . . . I will be with thee . . .; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." This was the promise given in Isaiah 43:1-2 to the faithful remnant. And God is going to keep it. Thrown into the furnace, not only do the three men suffer no hurt, but there they have a wonderful encounter. In their mysterious companion of that moment we have no difficulty in recognising the Son of God. Yes, the crucible of testing is the Lord’s meeting place with His people.
Although the fire destroys the men charged with the task of throwing the condemned men into the furnace, neither these nor anything that belongs to them bears even a trace of the smell of fire. Only one thing is consumed in the furnace — the bonds with which they have been tied up (v. 25). Is this not often the result of trial for the Christian? It sets him free from all kinds of hindrances with which the world had shackled him and allows him to walk in company with the Lord Jesus.
The king’s fury has given place to dismay (v. 24). By putting their lives at risk, these young witnesses have been able to show him the reality of their faith and to open his eyes to the existence of their God.
