I’m excited to share a video of this teaching with you! Here is the written version as well. Don’t forget to scroll to the end for details about the giveaway!

It really is crazy how much our world has changed in a few short weeks. One month ago I was preparing to go to the Devoted Women’s Conference at Wave Church in Virginia Beach. It was life-changing, an incredible experience, a time where knots were untangled and dreams were awakened… and it probably would have been cancelled if it had been scheduled just one week later.

Our girls’ trip to Virginia started out slow and relaxed, but quickly became a whirlwind. So much incredible teaching in a short amount of time, so much hope and truth injected into my soul… and then the long trek home to Pennsylvania. It felt a bit rushed, jumping right back in to marriage, motherhood, and church the next day. I knew I would need to prioritize my schedule to process and reread my notes from Devoted.

One thing I miss most during this season of social distancing is Date Day. My husband and I refer to Mondays as Date Day because we both have the day off and our four kids are in school, so we get the opportunity to have an adventure of some sort together. Our last one was on March 9th. (Insert sigh.)

Typically we don’t schedule appointments on Mondays, but sometimes the dentist trumps that. So on Monday, March 9th, Jon dropped me off at Starbucks to reflect, write and sip coffee while he went to get his tooth drilled. I needed (and still need) time and space to process what I had learned at Devoted… to dig deeper, to apply the change, to keep fanning the flame of awakening.

Again, it’s crazy to think how much has shifted in the last few weeks. Here I was, sitting in Starbucks, no agenda other than my Bible, my Devoted notes, and my fancy coffee. Pre-Coronavirus hitting our side of the country. Before toilet paper shortages and non-essential businesses shutting down. I savored the quiet, the stillness, the calm before the storm.

A quote from Pastor Sharon Kelly at Devoted kept surfacing: “They’ve been in the fire, but there’s no smoke on them – no bitterness.”

She used that phrase “no smoke” on more than one occasion to describe people that had walked through a trial and were not burned in the process.

Naturally, the song “Another in the Fire” came to mind. I had been singing it for days as I pondered Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego’s story. Something sparked in me that day in Starbucks as I journaled my thoughts on this subject. I haven’t stopped thinking about it. I hope this meets you wherever you’re at and points you back to your Heavenly Father.

March 9th, 2020. How we walk through hard times matters. How we trust Him in trials is important. The world is watching! More than that, God is after your heart.

I encourage you to pause once more and read Daniel 6 before continuing. 

Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den. The famous last words of the king: “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you” (Daniel 6:16). In verse 23, the king was “overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because He had trusted in his God.”

Daniel endured a pit of hungry lions and came out on the other side without so much as a scratch. Not one wound was found on him. Because he trusted in his God. He didn’t refuse rescue when the time came; they pulled him out without a fight. He didn’t try to bring the trouble with him; he left the lion in the den. There were no physical signs of what he had been through; just a proven faith and strengthened trust.

I encourage you to pause and read Daniel 3 before moving on.

In Daniel 3, we find Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They would not fall down and worship the image of gold set up by King Nebuchadnezzar.

I love their response in verses 16-18… we have “no need to defend…” because “the God we serve is able to save us/rescue us from your hand. But even if He does not… we will not serve your gods or worship the gold image…”

The king was furious (at their faith); his attitude toward them changed. The furnace was turned up seven times hotter. The strongest soldiers firmly tied them up; they were still wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes. The fire was so hot and the orders so urgent that the flames killed the soldiers who took Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego up; these three men of faith just fell into the blazing furnace.

And then, verse 24: “The king leaped to his feet in amazement.”

There were FOUR men walking around, unbound and unharmed.

Once again, the king’s attitude changed (Daniel 3:26): “Servants of the Most High God – come out! Come here!”

“… [they] crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them” (3:27).

Not one hair singed. There was no smoke on them. Not one physical sign that they had been in the blazing furnace… just the eyewitness accounts. They didn’t carry the fire with them to the other side of their deliverance. No souvenirs, no baggage. They didn’t stay in the furnace longer than required; when they were called out, they left the fire. Again, there were no physical signs of what they had been through; just a proven faith and strengthened trust.

I love the king’s response (Daniel 3:28-30)… he praised God – the God who had sent an angel and rescued His servants. They trusted God, defied the king, and were willing to die rather than serve or worship another. The king also protected and promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

God didn’t bring us this far to leave us or defeat us. He’s not in the business of deserting or abandoning. He doesn’t forsake us because He doesn’t want to unmake us.

He does want us to have eyes of faith, eyes fixed on Him. Even if we can’t see how He’s going to turn this to good… because faith is in the unseen, not the seen.

“So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.” – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (Message)

There’s another in the pit, guarding us from the lions so that we can be lifted out without a scratch.

There’s another in the fire, protecting us from the flame so that we can be called out of the furnace without even the scent of smoke.

There’s another in the water, parting the sea of impossibility so that we can walk through on dry ground.

Sometimes we’re called to stand firm in our faith, but that doesn’t mean we have to stay put in our trial. When you’re walking through hell, don’t stop. Keep going! Keep moving forward. You weren’t created for the fire or to live in the lion’s den. Yes, in this world we will have trouble. Yes, this journey heavenward is filled with hardship. But there is One who is always with us, no matter what we’re going through. He wants to go with us and grow us in every season – good or bad. And if it’s bad right now, there is still hope, because He is a faithful Father who works all things together for our good.

“But now, this is what the Lord says—He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” – Isaiah 43:1-2

Where is our trust in times of trouble? Where is our faith when foundations are faltering? Where is our hope when the furnace is turned up seven times hotter? When the lions are extra hungry? When the storm is raging?

As I wrote in Starbucks that day, I had no idea that COVID-19 was about to turn our lives upside down. I sensed something was on the horizon, but I couldn’t have imagined this. I know there will be other trials and hardships that this message can apply to, but it seems so timely now as I look back over the last few weeks.

How we walk through hard times matters. How we trust Him in trials is important. The world is watching! More than that, God is after your heart.

Look up. Look into His eyes.

He goes before us, He walks beside us, He carries us at times, and He is our rear guard.

He wants us to walk through this season victoriously, to come out on the other side of this trusting, scratch-resistant and smoke-free.

This week’s song suggestions (covered by Jon!)

• Another in the Fire
• Graves Into Gardens
• Starlight

* GIVEAWAY * We are blessing one winner with a $50 gift certificate to Amma’s Umma! To enter to win: comment below, and like/comment/share my post today about the blog on Facebook and Instagram (1 entry for each). For 5 bonus entries, subscribe to this blog AND Jon Wright Music. Entries will be gathered until 9am EST on Friday, April 3, 2020; we’ll announce the winner at 12pm EST!