Here in Oklahoma we are in the treacherous heat of summer. And with fall right around the corner, I’ve noticed that my schedule is becoming ever endless. The heat is high, and the pressure is on. But no matter how stressful or hot it gets, I never stop praising God, for He is good!
This summer you are going to encounter some hot situations: decisions, deadlines, conflicts, trials, and the opportunity to burn out before even beginning the next season. But the solution to these is simple: Praise God through the fire!
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. But even if he doesn’t, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn’t serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.’
Nebuchadnezzar, his face purple with anger, cut off Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace fired up seven times hotter than usual. He ordered some strong men from the army to tie them up, hands and feet, and throw them into the roaring furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, bound hand and foot, fully dressed from head to toe, were pitched into the roaring fire. Because the king was in such a hurry and the furnace was so hot, flames from the furnace killed the men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to it, while the fire raged around Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm and said, ‘Didn’t we throw three men, bound hand and foot, into the fire?’
‘That’s right, O king,’ they said.
‘But look!’ he said. ‘I see four men, walking around freely in the fire, completely unharmed! And the fourth man looks like a son of the gods!’
Nebuchadnezzar went to the door of the roaring furnace and called in, ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the High God, come out here!’
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked out of the fire.” ~ Daniel 3:16- 26
Praise is powerful because it changes your mentality. You begin to see yourself from a position of victory, rather than a position of defeat. It brings confidence, as it is also a form of faith as you are resting on the promises of God.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in a hot situation. But they never doubted God, and never stopped His glory from being on their lips!
No matter what furnace you are in today, God will deliver you through the fire! Just keep praising your way through your trials!
