The other day, I read a very good sermon given by a guy called John Ortberg (I really should read more of him. He is very inciteful, honest and witty. He wrote If You Want To Walk On Water You Have To Get Out Of The Boat). He was talking about going through trials and he used the account of the fiery furnace; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
I'm sure you know the story. They were ordered to bow down to idols else be thrown into the furnace, they said no, besides our God can deliver us from the furnace and even if He doesn't, we will not worship your false gods. Nebu got rather angry at this, got the furnace hotter than the very pits of hell and it consumed some of those who were throwing them in. But they saw them in the midst of the furnace, unbound, and a fourth person with them. (Probably Jesus, says Ortberg. He's probably right.)
He made a very important point. They were not delivered from the furnace, they were delivered in the furnace.
Perhaps when I pray and I'm feeling that I'm facing a difficult choice - in my case it seems the flames or the wilderness - I should remember He delivers me in both.
I've added the set of sermons which includes this, to my booklist, on the right. On Amazon, it is only available for the Kindle, but there may be some printed copies elsewhere.
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