September 27, 2026 Devo

September 27th, 2026

Powerful Words from the Prophets
So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke! Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him…Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon. – Daniel 3:26-30 (NLT)
“The Refining Fire”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t fight the fire. They trusted God and allowed themselves to be thrown in. And God was with them. But God only used the fire to show who HE was. He used the fire to validate the Hebrews’ faith and exalt them to an even higher level of honor in Babylon. Isn’t that CRAZY? What the Enemy meant to destroy them, God used to make them stronger than ever! THAT’S the refining fire of God!
This is such an important lesson for all of us. By nature, we are pain-resistant. We don’t like to struggle. We don’t like to suffer. In fact, we don’t even want to be mildly uncomfortable. That’s why we miss much of the work that God is trying to do in our lives. When trouble comes, we spend so much of our prayer time asking God to remove the fire we’re facing, or find a way out or around it, that we fail to realize God often wants to take us THROUGH it!
Some muscles of faith can only be learned going through the fire. There are important character traits that can only be obtained through endurance and perseverance. There are qualities, such as empathy, humility, and dependence on God, that can only be developed in the fires of difficulty, hardship, and struggle.
Paul said it this way in Romans 5:3-4: “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.” (TLB) If you’re in the fire today, take heart. God’s not punishing you. He’s refining you. He’s making you into more of the man or woman of God you desire to be. It’s like your personal trainer tells you, “No pain, no gain.” Now let’s flex those muscles of faith! That’s God’s Word for you today.