Through

Before you read this, grab your Bible and take a moment to review the third chapter of Daniel. This is the great story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego – men who chose to stand for their faith, absolutely believing in God’s faithfulness and His plan for their lives. They had refused to bow to the king’s idols. And the king, in his rage, ordered them to be thrown into a furnace that had been heated 7 times hotter than usual. Before being thrown into the fire (and actually, they were pushed into the fire because the soldiers who were in charge of getting them into the furnace were killed by the flames outside the furnace!), Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us . . . but even if He does not, we will not serve your gods, O King.” (Daniel 3:17-18). Wow, that is faith. Now here’s a question. In that moment, could God have just rescued them and saved them from even being thrown into this oven? Of course! But to show His awesome power, He allowed them to walk THROUGH the fire.

Here’s a dictionary definition of “through” – from beginning to end; completely.

Isaiah 43 says this:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you.  I have summoned you by name. You are mine.  When you pass THROUGH the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass THROUGH the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk THROUGH the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God; the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:1b-3a)

This passage begins with a powerful statement: “Fear not, I have redeemed you.” Before we walk THROUGH waters, rivers, and fire, we have to remember this fact: the big problem has already been solved! You had the worst imaginable problem that required the greatest imaginable sacrifice, and God took care of it when Jesus gave His life for you on the cross! You have been chosen, called by name, and redeemed from the pit! Remembering this helps us to have perspective on the difficulties that we are faced with day to day. James MacDonald said it this way, “You put your kid through college, you pay for all the textbooks, supplies, room and board, tuition and everything else involved for 4 years. Now, it’s all about to be celebrated with a diploma, signifying the next season in your child’s life. So, your son or daughter comes to you panicked and says, ‘I just found out I won’t get to graduate! I owe $20 more to the bookstore and they say I can’t graduate!’  Big problem or small problem? Will that be taken care of? After everything we’ve already done, won’t that be an easy one to handle?” And that’s what God says, “Look, I’ve redeemed you!  The worst possible problem has been solved!”

When you pass THROUGH the waters, I will be with you.
When you pass THROUGH the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk THROUGH the fire, you will not be burned.

Sometimes, we try to go around the problem. Let’s find the easy way out and avoid this altogether. But our trials have purpose in our lives. And going around the problem is a very bad plan. God desires for you to go THROUGH. That’s when He has promised to be present.

God was present with Moses and the children of Israel as they passed THROUGH the Red Sea.

David was delivered by the hand of the Lord as he fought THROUGH battle after battle against God’s enemies.

Jesus protected the disciples in the boat THROUGH the storm.

“Even though I walk THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me . . . “ (Psalm 23:4)

Back to Daniel 3 . . . God was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as they walked THROUGH the fire. He even physically joined them in the midst of it. Yes, the king and his men visibly saw a fourth man who looked like a “son of the gods.” And here’s one more amazing detail about this story. Notice verses 20 and 23 that spoke of the men being tied tightly by the strongest of soldiers before they were cast into the furnace. In verse 25, we see that when they were walking around in the fire, unhurt, unburned, and later, not even smelling of smoke, the 3 men were “unbound.” In the midst of the fire, God removed their chains! Wow! As we are going THROUGH our deepest circumstances, God is not only with us, He is releasing shackles that have held us!  “Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.  Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience.” (James 1:2-3, amplified). We don’t always embrace going THROUGH painful times. But oh, how sweet it is on the other side, when we have truly experienced God’s presence and known His faithful ways. - copied