The fire had no power

“And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.” - Daniel 3v27

Nebuchadnezzar surely thought that he had dealt with these three recalcitrant Hebrews. The furnace was heated so hot that those who threw the men into it died from the heat.

While they watched a fourth person appeared in the flames. To Nebuchadnezzar this one appeared to be as a “son of the gods.” It was clearly a supernatural personage. There are two possibilities, it was either and angel, or it was an appearance of Christ in the flesh. Whichever, it was evidence that God was somehow with them through the fiery trial.

God’s presence was so real that the flames had no power over the men. Their hair was not singed and they did not even smell of smoke. When God was with them they really had nothing to fear. The enemy, in this case the flames, had NO power!

During our own fiery trial God may indeed use the flames to burn off the dross. The “dross burning” may not always be comfortable, but we can be assured that the flames really have no power over us. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego we can take comfort that when the Lord is with us the flames have no power over us!

The hymn writer put it this way:

“When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”