Whenever I read Daniel Chapter 3, I always think about how brave Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were. They refused to bow down to the king’s golden statue even though they knew they would be thrown into a blazing furnace. That kind of faith is amazing. I wonder if I would have that same courage if I faced something like that.
But honestly? The part that really gets me is not their bravery. It is who showed up in the fire with them.
King Nebuchadnezzar looked into the furnace expecting to see three men burning to death. Instead, he saw four men walking around completely unharmed. And the fourth one? He did not look like a regular person.
Daniel 3:25 says, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” (NLT)
The king did not know who that fourth man was. But I do.
It was Jesus.
Jesus in the Fire
That changes everything for me.
I used to read this story and think it was all about the faith of three brave men. And yes, their faith was incredible. But the real miracle was not just that they survived the fire. The real miracle was that Jesus went into the fire with them.
He did not stay outside and watch. He did not wait until they came out to comfort them. He walked right into the flames and stood beside them. He made the fire powerless. The flames could not touch them because Jesus was there.
And that is what He does for me too.
When I Try to Be My Own Hero
I am going through something hard right now. I will not go into all the details, but it feels like my own kind of fire—the kind that tests you, the kind that makes you wonder if you are going to make it through.
And my first instinct? I try to handle it myself.
I make plans. I look for solutions. I work harder. I tell myself, “I can do this. I just need to be strong enough.” I try to be my own hero. But the truth is, I am not strong enough. And I am tired of pretending I am.
When I read about the fourth man in the fire, I realize something important. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not save themselves. They did not put out the fire. They did not make themselves fireproof. Jesus did all of that. They just had to trust Him and keep walking.
That is what I need to do too—stop trying to rescue myself and start trusting the One who is already in the fire with me.
He Does Not Stand at a Distance
There is a verse that keeps coming back to me lately. Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” (NIV)
Notice it does not say “if” you go through fire. It says “when.” Hard times will come. Fires will happen. But God does not promise to keep me out of the fire. He promises to go through it with me.
That used to frustrate me. I wanted God to just take away my problems. Remove the fire completely. Make life easy. But now I am starting to understand something deeper.
Sometimes the fire is not the problem. Sometimes the fire is where I learn that Jesus is with me.
If He took away every hard thing before it even started, I would never know what it feels like to have Him walk beside me through the worst moments. I would never experience His presence in the middle of the flames. And honestly, that presence—that knowing He is right there with me even when everything is falling apart—that is the real miracle.
I Take Too Much Credit
Here is something I am not proud of: when things go well, I forget to give Jesus credit.
When I finish a big project at work, I think, “I worked really hard on that.” When I handle a difficult situation well, I feel proud of myself. When I overcome something tough, I take ownership of it like I did it all on my own.
But the truth is, I did not do it alone. Jesus was there the whole time. He gave me the strength. He gave me the ideas. He gave me the ability to keep going when I wanted to quit. He was the fourth man in my fire, walking with me, making it possible for me to get through.
And I forget to thank Him. I forget to give Him the credit He deserves.
It is so easy to look at my life and say, “Look what I accomplished.” But when I really think about it, every good thing that has happened is because Jesus was with me. Every hard thing I survived is because He carried me through it.
I want to stop taking credit for things He did.
The Real Hero of My Story
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are remembered as heroes of faith. And they were. But they were not the real heroes of Daniel 3. Jesus was. He is the one who saved them. He is the one who made the impossible possible. He is the one who turned a death sentence into a testimony.
And He is the real Hero of my life too.
When I look back at the hard times I have been through, I see Him there. When I look at the blessings I have, I see His hand. When I think about the times I almost gave up but somehow found the strength to keep going, I know it was not me. It was Him.
He is always the fourth man in my fire. Even when I do not see Him. Even when I forget He is there. He never leaves.
What I Want to Remember
I want to live differently. I want to stop acting like I am the hero of my own story. I want to remember that every success, every breakthrough, every moment of strength comes from Jesus walking with me.
When something good happens, I want my first thought to be, “Thank You, Jesus,” not, “I did it.”
When I go through something hard, I want to look for Him in the fire instead of just trying to survive on my own.
When I tell my story, I want people to see Him, not me.
Because at the end of the day, He is the reason I am still standing. He is the reason I have made it through every fire so far. He is the reason I can face whatever comes next.
My Prayer
God, I am sorry for all the times I have taken credit for things You did. I am sorry for acting like I am strong enough to handle life on my own. I am sorry for forgetting that You are always with me, even in the hardest moments.
Thank You for being the fourth man in my fire. Thank You for not watching from a distance but for walking right into the flames with me. Thank You for making the impossible possible. Thank You for being my Hero when I am too weak to be my own.
Help me to remember that every good thing in my life comes from You. Help me to give You the credit You deserve. Help me to trust You more and rely on myself less.
When I go through the next fire—and I know there will be more—help me to look for You instead of panicking. Help me to remember that I am never alone. You are always there. You always have been.
Amen.
He Is Still There
I do not know what fire you are walking through right now. Maybe it is a health issue. Maybe it is a broken relationship. Maybe it is fear about the future. Maybe it is something you have not told anyone about because it feels too heavy to share.
But I know this: Jesus is in the fire with you. You might not see Him yet. You might not feel Him right now. But He is there. Just like He was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, He is with you.
You do not have to be the hero. You do not have to save yourself. You just have to keep walking and trust that the fourth man in your fire is walking right beside you.
And He will not let the flames destroy you.