Son of the Gods

“We do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:16–18).

    The king’s rage grew towards the three young men. They had refused to bow to the idol he had built for his nation, a crime punishable by death in fire. “Stoke the furnace!” he commanded. “I want it seven times hotter than normal.” He had the strongest men from his army come forward and bind their hands. The furnace roared, and its walls glowed red as if ready to melt. “Throw them in,” the king commanded.
    

As they did so, the heat proved too much, and the soldiers burst into flames. The prisoners were lost in an instant as the flames flashed too bright to gaze into the furnace.

    Then as he was watching, Nebuchadnezzar suddenly jumped up in amazement. 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).

    Suddenly Nebuchadnezzar knew his limitations before the one true God.

When it comes to the battle between good and evil, it is not a fair fight. The enemy is powerful. But God is more powerful. Satan is strong. Yet God is stronger. Satan must send his demons throughout the world to do his evil bidding. In contrast, God alone is omnipresent—fully present in all places at all times. Even so, the enemy’s limitations are not always so obvious when we are under pressure from the opposition. At the time, the enemy seems scary. Intimidating. Consuming. We temporarily forget God’s unlimited power. Do you have your eye on the thermostat when you are in the enemy’s furnace? Or do you focus on God’s presence and find strength to take the heat?