In this life at one time or another we all face the fire. Many times the fire we face is not an actual fire, but it is the problems and the dangers that this life often presents. When we face the fire, we are filled with fear. We struggle to make sense of why we are enduring such difficult times, and we worry that we will not make it out alive.

When I think of facing the fire, I am reminded of the story in the Bible of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These three men were thrown into a fiery furnace. The fire in the furnace was so hot that the guards who threw them into the fire died from the heat. There was a group of people watching these events unfold, and when they looked into the furnace, they did not see three people in the furnace—they saw four. The fourth person in the furnace was Jesus. He was there to protect the three men and keep them safe. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerged from that furnace unscathed; the fourth man in the furnace had indeed kept them safe from the flames.

This story should serve as a reminder that God is always with us. When we face the fires of this life, we do not face them alone. We may feel as if we are alone, but we are not. God is always with us, and He never leaves our side. When I look back on my own life and I think about the fires that I have faced, I realize that God had always been with me keeping me safe. There were many times when I did not feel His presence, but I know now that He was there. He was by my side comforting me and leading me to safety.

The most important thing for all of us to remember is that God is always with us. I know that I say that a lot, but that is how important it is for us to remember. This life can be very overwhelming and scary, and so many of us feel as if we are facing it alone. There are many people in this world who really have no one they can depend on. They feel like they are living their lives in complete isolation. There are many times in our own lives that we feel we have no one to depend on. We find ourselves alone and feel as if we have no one to reach out to and ask for help, but we are never alone.

When everyone has seemingly given up on us, God is always with us. He has been with us since the moment we entered this world, and He will remain by our side until the end of our time on this earth. God is not a respecter of persons. He loves all of us. He loves you, and He loves me. He loves the good and He loves the bad. There is no one on this earth who has travelled too far down the wrong path that God is not with them. God can change all of our lives. He can change who we think may be the worst person in the world. He can change an evil person into a good person. He can change a hateful person into a loving person. He can change a bitter person into a grateful person. There is no limit to what God can do for all of us. That is why it is so important for us to allow God to do His job and to work in our lives and in the lives of others. The fires of this life touch all of us. No one is immune to the heat that life can bring. However, we do have the perfect protector with us at all times. We have God, and He can extinguish the fire and protect us from its flames.

So, if you are facing a fire in your life and you feel as if you have no one you can reach out to, reach out to God. He is right there by your side waiting for you to ask for help. You do not have to ask for help in an elaborate or fancy way. All you have to do is say, “Help me.” He very well may be waiting on you to cry out to Him. He is protecting you even when you do not know it, but He can do so much more for you if you just reach out to Him. Please hear this—you are not alone. You have not gone too far to come back to God. God will never give up on you. I know this from my own life, and once you cry out to God and ask Him for His help, He will change your life and you will once again begin to see the good that this world has to offer.

There still is good in this world. We are so inundated with the bad that we forget that there is still good. We hear and focus on the bad more often than we do the good. God wants us to see the good and focus on the joys of this life instead of the sorrows. We can do that when we allow God to walk with us and save us from the fire. We can do that when we allow God to help us see the good instead of the bad. Leaning on God during the difficult times will help to make this life more bearable. Allowing God to come to our rescue will build our faith and help us to know that we are not alone. Emerging from the fire unscathed will give us hope and it will give those who witness our escape hope. The hope we have and the hope we share will turn into peace and PEACE MATTERS.

~Dan~