Faith Without Fighting

 Daniel 3(Reference)

I’ve been spending a lot of time in Scripture lately….walking through devotionals and diving deeper into Bible study. This week also happens to be The He Is Worthy Women’s Conference, and God has been pressing something on my heart over and over again.

About two and a half million times, it feels like He’s reminded me of this truth: people come to Him exactly as they are.

I’ve read it everywhere…from Romans to Galatians and throughout the New Testament. No one is good enough. Not one. Only Jesus.

That’s why it’s so important to meet people right in the middle of their mess. We are seed planters, people who plant seeds and trust the Lord to do the work in someone’s life. Sometimes that walk is long and steady with a few bumps along the way. Other times, the climb is so steep that if we lose our footing, we can fall fast, right back into the valley.

Today in Sunday school, we talked about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—one of my favorite Bible stories. Being thrown into a fiery furnace doesn’t sound like much fun, does it? The night before, Jeffrey and I had watched a movie about a young man who was burned over 98% of his body. That made today’s lesson hit differently. We had a visual, and suddenly the story felt even more real.

The fire in the furnace was so hot that it killed the soldiers who threw them in.

And then King Nebuchadnezzar saw another man in the furnace with them.

Jesus.

That moment made my mind stop—and my pen start moving. I wrote in my journal:

Though I walk through the fire, I will not be burned, for You are with me.
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

They didn’t know if they would survive the fire, and they didn’t care. They were obedient because they trusted God. Even if they didn’t make it out, they knew they would dwell with Him forever.

Either way, it was a win-win.

But we know the rest of the story. God walked with them. He protected them. And He even allowed the king to see Jesus standing in the flames.

When life gets messy and yucky and muddy, we need to remember that the God of the universe is walking right beside us. With everything swirling around us, God is saying, “I’m right here.” Sometimes He allows us to go through the fire…not to harm us, but to refine us.

And refining is rough.

Trust me…I’ve been there. Lots of tears. Lots of “why” questions. But also some of the deepest lessons I’ve ever learned.

Never forget your past; it shapes your character. And never, ever be ashamed of where you’ve been. The fire of the Holy Spirit takes time to transform us.

So keep walking.
Keep reading.
And keep talking to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Later, when I got home, I realized the words that came to me were Scripture—Psalm 23 woven together with Isaiah 43. It’s pretty cool how God works.

What if peace is your confirmation, not resistance?