My Furnace

In the book of Daniel, chapter 3, you will find a story about 3 young men by the names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their king had created an image of gold, a new "god" that everyone had to bow down to and worship. They of course, being god-fearing men, disobeyed and refused to worship the golden image. The king become infuriated, and ordered for them be bound and thrown into a furnance (that was also heated 7 times more than usual) and figured that they would be done with. He looked into the furnace and saw that they were still alive and there seemed to be another man in there with them, a man who was like a son of God. The king ordered the men out of the furnace and saw that nothing on them was burned. Not even a hair.

Thats where people become amazed by the story.

I recently read this story again in the bible, and something caught my eye this time that I never paid attention to. In The Message version, the bible says that they were bound hand and foot, giving them no ability to move around so that they did not try to escape. However, in verse 25 it tells us that they were walking around freely.

Let me stop there. The thing that most stood out to me this time, and that really impacted me was that they were not bound anymore! The fire burned only one thing on them: what bound them. The fire that was meant to kill them actually freed them!  I cannot even begin to tell you how much this little bit of revelation has changed the way I see this whole year now. My furnace, my trials, my hardships, and my tests weren't meant for anything else other than to free me! I didn't quite understand everything that happened this year, the way that it happened. The furnace people threw me in was meant to kill me, and I'm sure that they figured I was dead. But...

look at me. I am free, and the son of God is with me.

:)