Faith in the Fire

In this episode of Woman in the Word, we step into the flames of Daniel 3 and discover what it means to have Faith in the Fire. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood before a raging furnace with unwavering trust in God—not knowing if He would rescue them, but believing He was still worthy of their faith.

When life feels overwhelming, uncertain, or painful, how do we remain steadfast? Together, we’ll explore how God meets us in the middle of the fire, strengthens us through trials, and reveals His presence in our hardest moments. If you’ve ever wondered whether God is with you in suffering, this conversation will remind you that you are never alone in the flames.

Join us as we uncover the courage to stand firm, the peace found in surrender, and the faith that survives the fire.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Woman in the Word, the podcast where we dive into scripture, ask real questions, and walk through the Bible together, one honest conversation at a time. I'm Felicia Parker, I'm your host, and I'm so glad you're here. So whether you're new to the Word or you've been studying for years, there's a seat at the table for all of us. So grab your coffee, open your journal, or put on your walking shoes, and let's get into it. Hey, welcome to the Woman in the Word podcast. I am so excited that you're joining me today, as always. Today we are talking about faith in the fire. I am so excited for this conversation. So let's jump into it. Have you ever seen on the news or in person what it looks like for a home to be consumed by fire? I mean, it takes a matter of minutes for it to begin to spread rapidly. It can consume a room within less than five minutes. A whole house can be engulfed within less than an hour. And we could be looking at the rubble of a home within hours because the fire is so impactful and it can consume completely and totally that thing which it has caught fire to. And I find it so interesting that in the book of Daniel, chapter three, there are three young men that are thrown into a fire, but yet it doesn't consume them. And I want to jump in today to the story of the three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And I want to dive a little deeper into their story in regard to them being thrown into the fire and why they were able to withstand it. I'm just gonna paraphrase a little bit of it. In Daniel chapter 3, we find King Nebuchadnezzar, he has now built this golden statue in honor of himself for people to worship. And let's just pause right there for a moment. If we are asked to worship anything other than the true living God, that should be a red flag already. I don't care how nice it looks, I don't care how good it sounds, if we are being asked to worship anything outside of our great I am, that should be a red flag, that should be a big stop sign in our face saying, whoa, wait a minute. And so we find that the king has built this, and then he sent out all his officials, all the people that work for him to go deliver a message to those that live in the surrounding areas. And they do. So we're gonna pick up in verse 7. So at the sound of the musical instruments, all the people, whatever their race, nation, or language, bowed to the ground and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Let's just pause for a second. It said these people, once they heard the sound, the thing they were told to listen to, they immediately bowed down with no pushback and began to worship this thing that represented a king. So they began to worship this idol because they were told to. And it says all the people did that. Whatever their race, their nation, their language, young, old, black, white, Hispanic, Asian women, men, children, you name it, they all bowed down because this is what they were told to do. And we see in verse 8, it says, But the astrologers went to the king and informed him of the Jews. Now the Jews are the three Hebrew boys, and this is what he says in verse 11. That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, your majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up. Y'all hear this. In verse 13, it says, Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered for these three young men to be brought before him. So let's just go ahead and jump right into it. Everyone else is bowing because they were told to. Everyone else is bowing because they feel like they have to. Everyone else is bowing because maybe they're afraid, maybe they feel the pressure, the overwhelm, the anxiety, the stress of not bowing. It says, but the Jews, these three young men, at this point, these teenage boys, they had a resolve in them to say, we will not bow. We don't care what you tell us to do as far as what to worship, because we don't worship anything out of outside of the the great I am, the true king, the one and only Lord. We won't bow. We won't do it. And so some of the king's men, they go back and they say, They don't even, they don't even pay attention to what you say. They're not even thinking about you. They are not showing you respect, sir. What are you gonna do about it? Is what they're saying. And because of that, the king goes into a rage and he's so angry that he asks for these men to be brought before him. And here we are in verse 15. He says, I'll give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue that I made. And when you hear the sound of the musical instruments, you are to bow. And if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what God will be able to rescue you from my power. Look, y'all already know. This man is trying to challenge the great I am, the king of kings, the lord of lords, the God of heaven's armies. He's saying, Well, God can rescue you. Who's gonna rescue you? And I just want to pause for a second. The pressure that is being applied to them, in all honesty, it's been applied to us in our own lives. And my question to you is Have you bowed under the pressure that has been applied by your adversary, the devil? Have you bowed by the pressure that has been applied by culture? It literally says, circling back up, verse 7, they all bowed. So has it been a neighbor that has tried to pressure, a friend that has tried to pressure, a spouse, a close confidant? Hey, I wouldn't do it that way. I wouldn't act that oh, don't be so Jesus, don't be so, or is it something on the inside of you? Maybe a failure in your past or or a trauma you've dealt with that has constantly continued to apply pressure to where now you're bowing to things you shouldn't be. Hey, I just wanted to take a quick pause in our conversation and introduce you to uh the lover of your soul if you have yet to meet him. I would love to lead you in the prayer of salvation. So if you'd repeat after me, that'd be awesome. Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and I'm in need of a savior. I confess that Jesus is Lord and I want him to be the Lord of my life. I believe that you raised him from the dead to rule and reign for all of eternity. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with the precious blood of Jesus. I thank you, Lord, for dying on the cross just for me. In Jesus' name, amen. Hey, if you just prayed that prayer, I want to welcome you to the family of God and just say congratulations. He says, So, what God can rescue you? Verse 16, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendigo replied, Oh Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 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. But even if he doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, your majesty, we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up. Verse 19, Nebuchadnezzar was so furious that his face became distorted, y'all, with rage. He became so angry his face started to twist and look crazy. So he says, Okay, turn the fire up even hotter and throw them in it. And it says, verse 24, but suddenly Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisors, Didn't we throw three men into the furnace? They said, Yes, your majesty, we certainly did. And he says in verse 25, look, I see four men unbound walking around in the fire, unharmed, and the fourth looks like a god. Can I just tell you? The God we serve is able to sustain us in a fire that is meant to kill us, that he will allow us to walk through what people are trying to use to destroy us. They went inbound. They were found in the fire unbound and unharmed. And I want you to know that Hebrews 12, 29, it says that God is a consuming fire. And so if we allow the consuming fire of God to consume our lives, that the external fires on the outside will never be able to burn us. They'll never be able to harm us. They will never be able to destroy us because of the fire that burns so greatly on the inside of us, and that is called the spirit of the Most High God. If we keep the fire flaming for God on the inside of us, if we keep that consuming fire going, if we stay close to him, if we lean into him, if we rely on him, if we trust in his word, if we believe his promises, the external fires, whatever they are, they won't be able to destroy us, they won't be able to consume us. And we will be able to say, like the Hebrew boys, he will rescue us from your power. And this is the part I love so much. Verse 18. But even if he doesn't, hear me clearly. I want us to all get to a place, and I'm speaking for myself as well. I want us to all get to a place to have a heart that says, even if he doesn't. Even if he doesn't, I won't bow. Even if he doesn't, I won't compromise. Even if he doesn't, I won't turn around and quit. Even if he doesn't, I won't give in to that temptation. I won't walk away from where he's calling me. Even if he doesn't take me out of the fire and I have to go through it, I still won't bow. And I believe that's what God desires from all of us today. He desires for us not to bow. He wants us to know that if he is not removing the fire, that we better look around because he's gonna be in it with us. On September 19th, 2026, women will gather at the UNLV Student Union Ballroom for a powerful day of connection, encouragement, and renewal. The gathering, 2026. There's a seat waiting just for you. I love how the story goes on in verse 26, and I'm just gonna paraphrase a few of these scriptures. It says that Nebuchadnezzar came as close to the fire as he could. Because this is the thing, he doesn't have the hand of God on him, so he could only come so close. Because one thing I didn't share in the story is as the three Hebrew boys were being thrown into the fire, it was so hot that the men that threw him in or threw them in, they died because of the fire, because of the heat of the fire. So it says in verse 26, Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the fire without it actually consuming him, just the mere heat of it. And he says, Hey guys, come here, come closer. I want to talk to you. They come out, he and his high priest, his officials, the governors, everybody that he sent to send out this decree, you better bow. They all saw that the fire had not touched them. No hair on their heads were singed and their clothing was not scorched, y'all. And this is what I love. They didn't even smell like smoke. I pray in the name of Jesus that whatever fires we are walking through, I pray we walk through it with the consuming fire of God so fired up on the inside of us, so burning ablaze on the inside of us that the smell of smoke from the external fires, it's not even on us because we still smell like a sweet aroma that is pleasing to heaven because of the way we're living in our lives. And it says that they didn't even smell like smoke. They went into a fire that had been turned up so high that just the heat of it, not the flames of it, just the heat of it, burned these men. They're in there walking around and they come out not even smelling like smoke. Oh my goodness, I just love it so much. And then it says in verse 28, Nebuchadnezzar said, Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. And this is what he said, they defied the king's command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any God except their own God. Then he goes on to say, There is no other God who can rescue like this. Please hear me. If God doesn't take you out the fire, it's because he wants the world around you, he wants the enemies against you to see that he's a God that can save you in the fire, that he will get in it with you, cause you not to be harmed by it, allow you to come out and not smell like it, and then let it be a testimony to the great God that you serve. So if you find yourself in a fire today, don't run. Don't try to hide. Stand in it because God's going to be in there with you. Don't try to fight your way out of it, stress yourself out of it, work your way out. No, no. It literally said they just they just were walking around in the fire. They weren't banging on the door, let us out, let us out. They weren't saying, can you see we're not burning? Get us out. They didn't speak, they literally just stayed in it. It was the king that said, Hey, come on out, y'all. They were in there having a good, it was as if they weren't even phased by the external fire around them because they were enjoying the one that was with them. It takes faith to be able to say, even if my God doesn't rescue me, I still won't bow. They knew what they were facing. They knew they could have been facing their natural death. But they had something on the inside of them that made them say, even if you kill me, I'm not bowing. Even if you threaten my life, I'm not bowing. And y'all, that trust they had in the God they served got the ear of heaven. And God said, Hold on, let me let me go down here and take care of business. Because I hear the voice of those that trust me. I hear the ones of those that won't compromise. I hear the ones of those that won't bow even under the pressure. And my prayer for all of us today is that heaven will lean into our words and into our lives and see, oh, I found some ones that won't bow. I found some ones that won't be moved by pressure. I found some ones that won't give in because they know who I am. So let me show up and remind all of those watching who I am. God wants to use your life to be a display for all of those that are watching. Because in this moment, all that were watching, they were amazed, they were shocked to see these men not consumed by a fire that consumed everyone else that they threw in it. And it also allowed the king to see you might be king, but my God reigns, my God rules, and there is no other God above him. Let God use your life today to be an example, even if it is using your life in the midst of a fire. And I want to be honest with you, some of us might be walking through some really tough fires right now. Maybe the fire is you and a spouse, and that fire feels so hot. But if you would allow the consuming fire, like Hebrews 12 29 says, that God is a consuming fire, if you would allow his fire to consume you consume you on the inside, that fire on the outside we see in scripture will not be able to consume you. Whatever words have been spoken over you by your spouse or by a friend or by a coworker or the pressure coming in from society and culture or the lies that you've believed from the enemy or the feelings of doubt or insecurity that you have from your past, I want you to understand when you allow God to be the consuming fire in your heart, that the external fires will not be able to consume you, that you will be walking around unbound, unharmed, with the great I am, with the one that loves you, with the lover of your soul, with the God that chose you. So please hear me today. Whatever you're walking through, walk with him in it. Have the heart to say, I won't bow because my God can rescue me. And even if he doesn't, get that in your heart. Even if he doesn't rescue me out of it, I trust that he's gonna be with me in it. Because there is one thing I know about my God to be true. He will either rescue me out of the situation or he will be with me in it because he promises us in scripture that he will never leave us nor forsake us, which is to turn his back and look away from us. He will always be there. He will always be with us. So understand if he rescues you out of it, amen. There's a testimony to that. But if he doesn't and he causes you to walk through the fire, understand that there's a testimony to that too. Psalm 23, verse 4 says, Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. The three Hebrew boys knew the truth about their great God. And so they could stand with full confidence, knowing that he would back them up because they knew the character of their God. They knew the time they had spent in the presence of God. They knew the truth of his word in regard to their life. So they said, I don't care how much pressure you put on me, I won't bow. I don't care if everyone else around me is bowing. I won't bow because my God is the God, the one true God. And I only bow to him. I don't ever, nor will I ever bow to you. Y'all, we got to get that in our heart today. In the world we live in, everything is trying to get us to bow. And my question is, what pressure applied to you so tough will get you to bow? Whatever that thing is, submit it to God, and get back into the private place, the hiding place with him, so that he can begin to remind you again. So when that thing comes back at you, trying to get you to bow, you can say, one thing I want to let you know finances, marriage, children, job, connections, opportunities. One thing I want you to know is I won't bow because my God is able. And even if he doesn't rescue me out of this situation, he's still God. He's still good. And I won't bow. Thanks for hanging out with me in the Word. I hope it encouraged your heart and gave you something to carry into the rest of the week. If it spoke to you, share this with someone who might need it too. And hey, don't forget to follow or to subscribe so you don't miss out on what's next. Until then, keep showing up, keep listening, and let his word lead the way.