“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you” (1 Peter 4:12).
When God is ready to promote you, He will set you up to make room for your gift, just like He did captive Daniel in Babylon. God used him to interpret the king’s dreams which led to his promotion as governor over the whole province and all the king’s wise men. Daniel was not self-ambitious; nor did he forget his fellow captives Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He had them promoted to high positions under himself (for which they were qualified). A pagan king promoted God’s children over all others in a pagan kingdom! This is recorded in Daniel 2, and in Daniel 3 we learn they were promoted again. But something happened between promotions one and two.
The devil stirred up jealousy in their enemies to appeal to the king’s pride, that the Hebrews had disrespected him by not bowing down to his image. Although enraged, he gave them another chance to bow down to his image or be thrown into a fiery furnace, but they said, “Our God is able to deliver us, but if not, we will not worship your gods nor bow down” (Daniel 3:17-18). Never negotiate with the devil! Remain faithful and confident in God to deliver you. When they spoke in faith in the face of intimidation, it shook the king up, and he commanded the fire to be made seven times hotter!
The three Hebrews answered: “We won’t bow down” and “our God is able to deliver us!” They spoke in unity. When you are in a severe test, surround yourselves with believers and not doubters. But know that when Satan sees that you believe, he increases the pressure. You would think, because they remained true to God, He would have intervened to rescue them, but it actually got worse!
Infuriated, the king had them bound and cast into the fiery furnace, and God didn’t stop it. Curiously, Daniel is not mentioned in this part of the story. Why wasn’t he there to speak up on their behalf? Surely with his great wisdom and influence he may have convinced the king to spare their lives. But when there is no human help and God is all you have, God is all you need! Don’t fear the fire! You can’t trust and fear too!
When God decides to promote you, Satan can’t demote you! If you are thrown into the fire, He’ll not only bring you out unharmed, He’ll promote you again. Because you can’t go higher till you come through the fire!
Isaiah prophesied: “When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you”(Isaiah 43:2). When Nebuchadnezzar looked in the furnace, to his astonishment, he saw four men walking around loose. He exclaimed: “The fourth is like the Son of God!” (Daniel 3:25). He commanded for them to be taken out of the furnace and gave glory to their God for delivering them. Then he promoted them.
Just another holy boomerang!
Never Fear the Fire!
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust him…. For he knows the way that I take: when he has tried me, I shall come forth as pure gold” (Job 13:15, 23:10).
Trials by fire are a normal part of a Christian’s refining process, because after you come through the fire, you are ready to go higher. You are ready to be promoted! You can face the fire without distress, knowing it’s part of the promotion process:
“For he is like a refiner’s fire…. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the lord an offering in righteousness” (Malachi 3:2–3).
The sons of Levi were the priests and worshipers in the Temple of God. Peter said we are also “a royal priesthood, that we should show forth the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1Peter 2:9).l also refine us as silver and gold are refined. The refiner sits—He never leaves the refining pot while it is on the fire, in order to keep the temperature perfect until all dross is removed. If he removes it when it is too cool, the gold will harden with the impurities still in it. If he allows it to get too hot, the gold will be destroyed. It has been said that it is ready to be removed when he can see his reflection in it.
Peter alluded to this: “Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Christ” (1 Peter 1:6–8).
In other words, we are ready to come out of the fire as pure gold and be promoted, when we can praise God, and sing while we are still in the fire! Peter said the trying of our faith is only “for a season.” When we come through the fire, it’s our season to go higher!
Let me point out, some of us may not get our full promotions “till the appearing of Christ in His glory.” But He will rescue us from the fire now, and our faith will be purified by the fire now. Paul said that we will all stand at the bema seat in Heaven, and our works done on earth will be tried by the fire to see what sort they are—quality—not quantity. The fire will reveal whether they are “wood, stubble, and hay, or silver, gold, and precious stones.” If they are the former, the fire will consume them, and our rewards will be forfeited. If they are the latter, we will receive eternal rewards (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).
In light of this, Peter exhorted: “Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you” (1 Peter 4:12).
Because you can’t go higher till you go through the fire!
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