Tuesday Read: Tested by Fire

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood before Nebuchadnezzar's golden statue with a choice: bow or burn. Their response reveals mature faith: "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace... But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods" (Daniel 3:17-18). Notice the "but if not" - they believed God could rescue them but didn't presume he would. They chose faithfulness regardless of outcome.

This stands in stark contrast to modern faith formulas that promise deliverance in exchange for sufficient belief. Name it and claim it. If you have enough faith, you'll be healed, prospered, protected. But biblical faith trusts God's character when circumstances contradict his promises. It worships in the fire, praises in prison, and remains faithful when prayers seem unanswered.

Job lost everything - children, wealth, health - yet declared, "Though he slay me, I will hope in him" (Job 13:15). His friends insisted that suffering always indicates sin, that righteous people don't experience tragedy. They were wrong. Job's story demolishes the transactional theology that treats God like a vending machine: insert faith, receive blessing. Sometimes the righteous suffer terribly while the wicked prosper shamelessly.

Peter understood this when he wrote about "the genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire" (1 Peter 1:7). Gold is refined by removing impurities through extreme heat. Similarly, trials burn away the dross of false faith, superficial commitment, and self-reliance. What emerges is purer, stronger, more valuable - not because suffering is good, but because God uses it redemptively.

The question isn't whether you'll face fire, but what you'll do in it. Will you maintain faith when circumstances contradict promises? Will you worship when rewards disappear? Will you trust God's goodness when you can't see his hand? The three young men walked into the furnace and found a fourth person with them - Jesus meeting them in their trial. God doesn't always prevent the fire, but he always joins us in it.