The Fourth Man in the Fire

Daniel 3:23-25 "And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."

In the past few weeks, I've been listening to a song by Elevation Worship featuring Chris Brown titled "Trust In God," which is a beautiful worship song. There is a particular line in the song that deeply resonates with me: "He's been my fourth man in the fire, time after time, after time." This powerful phrase speaks to the consistent presence of God with me through challenging times. To truly grasp the significance of this phrase, one must understand the story behind it. The Book of Daniel, tell us about three Hebrew boys, known by their Babylonian names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, faced a fiery trial. Their Hebrew names, Hananiah (meaning "God has favored"), Mishael (meaning "Who is what God is?"), and Azariah (meaning "God has helped"), reveal their faith and the divine assistance they received.

The fire was set and the three boys were thrown into the fire. Normally a fire this hot would ordinarily have burned them beyond recognition in a matter of seconds. Notice, they were in the middle of the fire. I would like to remind you that God saved Noah in the flood, and not from the flood. God saved Joseph in Egypt, not from Egypt. God saved Joseph in the famine, not from the famine. God saved Elijah and the widow in the famine, not from the famine. God does not always spare us from our problems, but He helps us with those problems, time after time. King Nebuchadnezzar notices something of great magnitude which catches his eye. He ran to see, if he was remembering correctly, that there were three men in the fire. His attendants agreed with him. The bible tells us that "He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." early versions of this Scripture say that they were singing praises in the middle of the fire.

You see friends, God is ever present with those who trust Him. This fourth person in the fire is the Son of God. Look at the beautiful promise that was fulfilled here for these 3 men who pleased God. In the Book of Isaiah, 43:2 it tells us "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." Our God is a consuming fire, so fire is nothing to Him. The three Hebrew boys put their faith in the God and He did not fail them. He was in the fire with them, protecting them from the flames. God's divine presence will be with us in all of our troubles, if we trust in the Lord. God promises us supernatural protection in times of trouble, if we trust in Him. In the book of Psalms, Chapter 91:7, the bible tells us that "A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee." There were several things to be gained from this, the faith for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- nego and the faith of the world looking on was multiplied. The king's heart was changed, so "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine. He's been my fourth man in the fire, time after time. Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood. And what He did for me on Calvary is more than enough!" I trust in God my Savior!