The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is one of my favorites in the Old Testament because their names are fun to repeat, and they walked out of a fire unscathed! If I had been sitting next to King Nebuchadnezzar, I would have leaped up in amazement, too, while blinking my eyes several times to confirm that there were now four men in the fire!  

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These three young Hebrew men were thrown, hands bound, into an exceptionally hot fire because of their unwavering faith and refusal to worship a golden statue, despite King Nebuchadnezzar’s demands. Most Bible scholars believe that the fourth man in the fire was the pre-incarnate Jesus, which refers to the Son before he was born on Earth in human form. These young men must have been awestruck to be joined by the pre-incarnate Jesus, but what really caught my attention in these verses studying this time was, “walking around in the fire”! This creates a vision in my mind of these men strolling around when my human brain screams that they should be frantically fleeing the flames!

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How do you respond to the fires in your life? Does your “fight or flight” response kick in?  Do you try to enlist family or friends? Do you turn and run to drugs, alcohol, shopping, or another addiction? Do you isolate yourself? While pondering the four men “walking around in the fire,” I saw a better way to respond. God is in the flames of life with us, so walk around in His presence to be near Him! Even the small fires that we face each day at home, at school, or at work can help us to walk with Him and reflect more patience and self-control. If we enter His presence with a thankful heart, with gratitude, based not on what is happening to us, but on who God is, then this time in the fire could become a season of growth and restoration. In the hottest fires, we often feel His presence most powerfully as we recognize his nearness, which can lead to leaps in spiritual growth to serve Him and others generously. In this walking-around scenario, do you seek Him in the flames? Do you seek the “one” who needs to know Jesus? Do you trust God with every corner of your life, even your family or your health or your finances? Do you know He loves your family more than you do? Let Him walk around in the flames of life with you so you can be near Him!

Flames were recently seen at Victory Bible Camp in Glacier View, AK. If you have ever been there for a retreat, ranch camp, alpine camp, or venture camp, then you know that it is a Spirit-filled place! On October 23^rd of this fall, Spruce Lodge burned to the ground! Days before, at the ACF Ladies Retreat, the lodge was filled with praise and worship to God. At the time of the fire, the lodge was not occupied, nobody who helped fight the fire was injured, and the lodge was not booked for use until February of 2026. God was near in the flames of this fire! I will never forget the first time I saw a photo taken during the fire, because you can clearly see a cross in the flames. Yes, the building burned to the ground, but we were given a present-day sign from God, like King Nebuchadnezzar’s long ago, that He is in the fires of life with us. God may not always rescue a building from a fire or us from the fires in life, but He is near to us in the flames if we will look for Him!  

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Is your faith strong enough to defy the fires of life?

Will the fires of life destroy or strengthen your faith?

Do you turn to God in the fires of life to be near Him and to grow your faith?  

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Thank you, God, for this amazing story in the Bible that shows us that we can find You in the flames of everyday life. May the fires in life be the very place where we experience the presence of You most powerfully! May we choose to walk and find You in the fires of our lives and not just stand or run. May we reach out to others to support them in the fires of their life and guide them to restoration through You. We love you! Amen.