Unbound and Unharmed

He said, ‘Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods. 
– Daniel 3:25 (NIV) 

A popular analogy of the carrot, the egg and the coffee bean is often used to describe how people handle pressure or heat. When each of these items is placed in hot boiling water, the carrot weakens, the egg hardens, but the coffee bean changes the hot boiling water. It spreads its essence into the water and redefines the nature of the water. 

Just like the above analogy, people respond to trials differently. Some break down, some become hardened, but those grounded in faith transform their environment just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. In our daily walk with God, He doesn’t always remove us from pressure. But when we walk in covenant with Him, He uses that pressure to refine, strengthen, deliver and promote us – that will be the focus of this devotional.   

When we walk in covenant with God, He uses pressure to refine us.

In Daniel 3 we read the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The King put up a massive 10-story statue and commanded everyone to bow down and worship the statue at the trumpet sound. However, the three Hebrew boys refused to bow. Despite being threatened, they told the King, God would save them. The King became very angry and commanded that the furnace be heated seven times more than normal, and the three boys to be bound and thrown into the furnace. Instead of being burned to death, the King saw four people walking unbound and unharmed in the fire, commanded them to be brought out, and praised the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 

When we walk in covenant with God, He uses pressure to refine us. 1 Peter 1:7 reminds us that trials will show that our faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold. When the Hebrew boys were tied up and thrown into the furnace, the fire only burned what the Babylonians had put on them – the ropes. The ropes (fear, doubt, limitations, oppression and control), the soldiers and the King put on them was destroyed in the fire. God granted freedom and deliverance twice—first 

inside the fire and again when they were brought out of the fire. Daniel 3:27 says not even their clothes had the smell of the fire.  

God also uses pressure to strengthen us. James 1:2-4 – Count it all joy, when trials come, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. When you are in covenant with God, you will never look like what you have gone through. There were men who were burned by the very same fire Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were walking in.  

Finally, He uses pressure to promote us. Psalm 66: 10–12 paraphrased says You, God, tested us; You refined us like silver… We went through fire and water, but You brought us to a place of abundance. The fire that had previously burned others, was the same fire that God used to promote them (Daniel 3:30). What was meant to destroy them became a means for the nation to witness the power of the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Our ability to handle pressure and remain faithful creates opportunities for Kingdom impact. 

The first verse of a popular hymn says: When we walk with the Lord, in the light of his word, what a glory he sheds on our way! While we do his good will, he abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey. This shows that when we enter a covenant walk with God and stand firm under pressure, He comes to stand with us. Isaiah 43:2: When you walk through fire, you will not be burned. You may wonder why God did not come before they were thrown in but their faith in the covenant made room for God’s power and presence to be manifested. God is always with us, even in our seasons of pressure. 

Song: Trust and Obey 

Prayer – Father in the name of The Lord Jesus, on account of the Blessing of The Covenant, I receive strength in every area of my life, where I am feeling overwhelmed. Burn away every rope of fear, doubt and oppression in the name of Jesus. Amen 

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Bible in 1 Year: Job 38-40