The Staggering Question by ‘Brother Bill’
Do we trust in the process or just the results? Can you show how in the bible trust develops in the fire with God not by avoiding the fire? My friend Mychal reminded me of “God-truth” we may incented by pleasure, but we are shaped by pain. The worse it got, the more they trusted the Lord.
In the Bible, trust in God is often forged and deepened not by avoiding trials, i.e., “the fire”, but by walking through the trials with Him. God frequently allows His people to enter difficult circumstances, where their faith is tested and refined, and He demonstrates His presence and power in the midst of the trial rather than always preventing it. This builds deeper trust, as seen in the devotional text you shared about miracles often coming after hopeless situations.
1. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the Fiery Furnace (Daniel 3)
This is one of the clearest examples. The three young men faced a literal “fire” — a blazing furnace heated seven times hotter — for refusing to worship a false idol. Their trust was declared before entering the fire, and it was proven and deepened inside it when God joined them.
Key verses (NKJV):
Daniel 3:16-18:
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
Their trust was unconditional — God could deliver them, but even if He didn’t (in the way they hoped), they would remain faithful. This is mature trust.
Daniel 3:23-25
: And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”
God did not prevent them from being thrown into the fire. He entered it with them (widely understood as a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ — the “fourth man”).
Daniel 3:26-28
: Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came from the midst of the fire. And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them. Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him…”
Their trust was strengthened and publicly vindicated through the fire The king himself recognized it was their trust that led to deliverance.
2. Daniel in the Lions’ Den (Daniel 6)
Daniel faced another deadly trial for continuing to pray to God. He was thrown into a den of lions, but God did not remove the danger — He protected Daniel inside it.
Key verses (NKJV):
Daniel 6:16
: So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.”
Daniel 6:22-23:
Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.” Now the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God.
Again, trust (“believed in his God”) was demonstrated and deepened in the trial, not by avoiding it. Daniel’s consistent faithfulness led him into the lions’ den, but God was faithful in it.
3. God’s Promise: He Walks With Us Through the Fire
Isaiah 43:1-2 (NKJV): But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.
God does not promise to keep us from the waters or the fire — He promises to be with us in them. This assurance strengthens trust as we experience His presence in hardship.
Other Supporting Principles
• 1 Peter 1:6-7 (NKJV) speaks of trials refining faith like gold in fire: “…though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
• The devotional you shared aligns perfectly: miracles and deeper relationship with God often come after (or during) the hardest conditions, not by avoiding them.
Summary: The Bible repeatedly shows that real trust in God develops and is proven in the fire, not by escaping it. Shadrach, Meshach, Abedbego, and Daniel didn’t avoid the trial — they walked into it with resolve, and God met them there. Their stories (and God’s promises) teach us that the fire refines faith, reveals God’s presence, and leads to greater testimony and glory for Him. This is a powerful encouragement for believers facing their own “furnaces” today.
This is summarized in Hebrews 12: The Discipline of God
(Prov. 3:1-11, 12 )
3 ¶ For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.
5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”fn
7 ¶ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?
8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.
9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?
10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.
11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Worked muscles strengthen, unworked muscles atrophy!
So, spare the rod spoil the child seems to be scriptural approach for God with us and us with our children. So, let’s Give our kids a journey shaped in love like God gives us. Brother bill/dad
About the Author
Mychal Massie
Mychal S. Massie is an ordained minister who spent 13 years in full-time Christian Ministry. Today he serves as founder and Chairman of the Racial Policy Center (RPC), a think tank he officially founded in September 2015. RPC advocates for a colorblind society. He was founder and president of the non-profit “In His Name Ministries.” He is the former National Chairman of a conservative Capitol Hill think tank; and a former member of the think tank National Center for Public Policy Research. Read entire bio here
