Let’s just say it.  Life can be hard at times.  We can be moving along and suddenly, life situations cause more difficulty, more sorrow, more grief, and more pain than what we could ever imagine.  Some might say:  “That’s life,” and maybe those are true words; nonetheless, the question becomes—

What do we do when “that’s life” situations come suddenly upon us?

• How are the children of God to react?
• How are the redeemed to walk by faith when tears come more than smiles?
• How are the saved ones to stand when life bears down upon us?

There’s only one way, one response, one solution, one outcome, and one fully complete WAY!

We must remember, recall, and rejoice—knowing God is able!

As a child who attended Sunday School, the narrative of the three Hebrew boys became a bedrock narrative, one that appeared often throughout our Bible studies.  Now as an adult, living life, we often find ourselves caught up in the life-situations dealt to us, and we question—

“Lord, what should I do?”

Oftentimes, health scares come sweeping into our daily life, and we ask—

“Lord, will I ever make it through this struggle?”

Sometimes, we can come face-to-face with trials, struggles, and downright LARGE obstacles, and we look up and voice—

“Father, I just don’t know if I can make it through this.”

That’s the situation the Hebrew boys were facing when King Nebuchadnezzar went into a rage when three subjects:  Shadrach (Hananiah), Meschach (Mischael) and Abed-nego (Azariah) refused to bow down to serve the king’s gods or the golden image he had commanded to be worshipped.

You see, these three young boys had lost their freedom, their homes, their rights, and their names—and still, they refused to bow and worship foreign gods of idolatry.  They knew the consequences (death), yet they stood strong.

The action was simple enough.  When “the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music” sounded, every person within the kingdom was “to fall down and worship the image . . .” (The Book of Daniel 3: 15—parts of the verse)

King Nebuchadnezzar demanded a reply.

No matter the life-situation, God can use it to further the Gospel.

Let us walk, talk, live, respond, and Be Like Jesus.

When facing the crucifixion, Jesus went to The Garden of Gethsemane to pray.

May we Never lose our JOY.

• Our God is Able to bring beauty where only ashes exist!
• Our Lord can turn tears into blessed opportunities!

If we know the rest of the narrative of the three Hebrew boys, we know how the king was filled with rage, commanded the boys to be bound, and to be thrown into the fiery furnace.

We also know how the king was astounded when he looked into the fire and saw not three, BUT FOUR “men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!” (The Book of Daniel 3: 25b NASB)

When the three boys were pulled from the fire, the furnace had no effect on their bodies—

• No hair was singed.
• No clothing was damaged.
• No smell of fire even existed.

May we be reminded how the LORD allows others to worship HIM when we allow our lives, our life-situations, our life-trials to MAGNIFY GOD!

• May we remember the past ways God has been good to us.
• May we recall past times when God has rescued us.
• May we not become shaken but TRUST GOD—HE IS STEADFAST! HE IS FAITHFUL! & HE IS ABLE!
• Our God is Able to make a way for the Gospel to be preached!

PRAISE THE LORD!

Thank you LORD for allowing our lives to be the vessel through which others can come to know YOU as their SAVIOR!