Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”
They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”
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.”
Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. ~ Daniel 3:19-27
Sometimes, when we go through hard times, we say we are "in the fire, " and we feel like it's a bad thing. But there's something interesting about the story of the three Hebrew boys in the fire. The King, Nebuchadnezzar said "I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." So, even while in the fire, the three Hebrew boys were not only unharmed, not being singed, or even smelling like smoke, they were also free, walking with the Son of God completely unbound. Isn't that amazing? Sometimes we need to realize that even though circumstances look hopeless; even though we feel like we are "in the fire," we are loved by a God who is greater than anything we face.
He tells us that even though in this world we will have trouble but that He has overcome the world (John 16:33) This doesn't mean fear, angry, or frustration never enter our lives, but it definitely means we have a way to move past it and live lives of victory, full of joy and love.
When my kids were little part of our bedtime routine was me asking them what the worst and best parts of their day were. Well, I think this was the best part of my day. We planted peas and red beets this afternoon. We will probably plant more tomorrow; I still have radish and lettuce seeds to plant.
Our letter of the week is Oo.
My initial plan for today was to have the kids plant flowers in pots to put on the front porch. I've been seeing plants in hanging pots in stores and it made me want some. But when Chris went to the greenhouse across the street to get the little ones in flats he was told they won't have any for a couple months yet. I already had our videos for the day lined up so we watched them anyway.
Today's Bible story
We enjoyed lots and lots of time playing in the back yard.
I love this picture of the kids walking with Michael inside for lunch.
No pictures but church this evening was also one of my favorite things of the day. I need that Wednesday evening spiritual fill up.
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