The FireSample

The Fire Provides Promotion

Who doesn't like promotions?  We experience them from kindergarten to our careers.  The ideal is to get promoted every single time it is warranted.  It is an indication of doing our part and earning the next level as a result.  Hard work pays off, they say.  But what is it about being in a fiery furnace that can possibly serve as an indication that we are 'earning' a promotion?  It seems absurd to think that God can use my current furnace to elevate me or for me to experience greater things to come.

That's exactly what happened in the lives of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  Remember our first day in the this short devotional?  They refused to bow down to the image of gold that the King had made and they were punished by being thrown into the fiery furnace.  In the midst of that, they were able to experience the presence of Jesus and also the freedom of being loose, even though they went into the furnace bound.

Now how can we see the promotion?  What does it mean to be promoted?  Well, in Daniel 3:30 it says, "Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon."  The young men who once were accused of violating the king's decree are now being elevated for what God did through them in the midst of THEIR fiery furnace!  Their commitment to obedience to the Lord and the faith they showed in their God provided all these blessings and now - promotion!

However, promotion in Hebrew does not mean, "pass to the next level."  It is defined from the Hebrew word 'yarad' which means, "process".  In other words, in order for us to experience promotion, we must allow God to put us through a process that will in turn, get us promoted. Their process was not the furnace itself. It was the space that existed between the moment the king sent the announcement for all to bow down to the image he made, and the decision they made to declare their faith to the one true God  - Yahweh!  

Daniel 3:17 - 18 says, "17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Reflection: Will you commit to being faithful to God, even if He doesn't choose to allow you to avoid the 'fire'?  Are you focused on the promotion or the God of the promotion?  Are you willing to be processed by the Processor?