“Suddenly the king jumped up and shouted, “Weren’t only three men tied up and thrown into the fire?” “Yes, Your Majesty,” his officers answered.” But I see four men walking around in the fire,” the king replied. “None of them is tied up or harmed, and the fourth one looks like the Son of God.” – Daniel 3:24-25

A few weeks ago, I went on a field trip upcountry and reached a place where there is completely no telecommunications network. 

I had always taken it for granted as it was really a longtime since I was in an environment where no one could make a call or surf the internet due to lack of a signal.

The presence of God is like the signal in the telecommunications industry.

When there’s no divine ‘signal’ or ‘network,’ you’re completely cut off, helpless and hopeless.

In our meditation today, we reflect on the amazing story of how God rescued three young men from a fiery furnace.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had refused to worship a golden image and so the punishment they deserved was being thrown into a furnace.

They were tied up with ropes and thrown into the furnace that had been heated several times than normal.

However, instead of being reduced to ashes in a matter of minutes, the three young men were seen with a fourth man “walking around in the fire”! 

The king easily recognized “The Fourth Man” as the “Son of God.”

Evidently, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had good company right inside the furnace!

This story reminded me of Jekalyn Carr’s song, ‘Stay with me,’ taken off her 2018 album titled, One Nation Under God.

The first verse says:  

“How can I live? How can I move?
How can I be, without You?
How can I stand, in the midst of pain?
I can’t go on, without You

You are the company that doesn’t have to go
So, stay with me.”

As He prepared to ascend into heaven following His resurrection, our Lord Jesus told His disciples; “All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Therefore go and teach all the nations … and behold I am with you always, even to the end of the world” (Matthew 28:18-20).

“When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you. When you pass through fire, you will not be burned…”

ISAIAH 43:2

At first sight, this looked like a contradiction to the disciples; “How can someone who is going away at the same time say that He will be with us to the end of the world?”

Well, when the Holy Spirit is in, within and upon you, then you have the omnipresent God with you to give you company in whatever circumstances.

Psalm 46:11 says; “The LORD of hosts is with us.” 

Zephaniah 3:17 (AMP) says; “The LORD your God is in your midst, A Warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with joy; He will be quiet in His love [making no mention of your past sins], He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”

The Almighty God says, “When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you. When you pass through fire, you will not be burned…” (Isaiah 43:2).

As Carr sings, “We have Company that doesn’t have to go.”

He stays with us to keep us safe and never stops rejoicing over us with shouts of joy! Hallelujah.

As Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego found out, those who make a stand for God are the ones who will see God make a stand with them.

So, whatever the situations or circumstances that we might have to go through, we should not be afraid since we’re accompanied by the almighty God, the LORD of Hosts, whose divine ‘network’ never gets lost.

Hallelujah and praise His holy Name!

Prayer:

Almighty God; You’re the LORD who goes before me. I am persuaded that You are with me always. May the LORD our God be with us as He was with our ancestors; may He never leave us nor forsake us. Amen!