Sunday in church, our worship team played an amazing set of songs that ended with “Another in the fire” by Hillsong United. I have been thinking about the words to that song all night. It reminded me of something that I wrote a while back that seems so relevant to me today, I pray it brings hope to you today, whatever season you are standing in.
Lately, in my life, it seems as though the heat is being cranked up. The hurry to be somewhere (10 minutes ago), the length of the to-do list, the desire to prioritize health, then that familiar question about what to cook for dinner (why does that surprise me most days?).
The text messages, emails, social media messages, voicemails and then there is that sweet child who calls me mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom…and simply wants me unattached, and present. I wonder if you can relate to this, it is hard.
Yet, there are days when we totally rock it, am I right?
Then there are times when all of it seems overwhelming. The perfect storm crashes when circumstances and details collide. It is during these seasons that I tend to become self- reliant.
Self-reliance for me, also means a greater need to control things. When I feel life spinning out of control I reach for control in any way I can. That is one reason the lyrics to the song spoke so deeply to me. God is the one I want in control, not me. Here is part of the chorus.
There is another in the fire
Hillsong United ~ Another in the fire
Standing next to me
There is another in the waters
Holding back the seas
And should I ever need reminding
What power set me free
There is a grave that holds no body
And now that power lives in me
There are so many Biblical references within the lyrics of that song. One is the story in the book of Daniel when King Nebuchadnezzar threw three guys; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fire for not worshiping the golden image that the King had set up. Let’s check it out.
The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, O king.”
He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods…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.
Daniel 3: 22-27
I love that! The King turned up the fire so hot that the soldiers who took them to the fire were killed immediately. They died just standing near the fire. That is one hot fire!
Then, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego get thrown directly INTO the fire, and they are not harmed?
What an amazing testimony of God’s protection!
The King looked into the fire and saw FOUR men standing in it when he had only thrown THREE in. The Bible says the fourth person was either the pre-incarnate Christ who often appears in the Old Testament as an “angel of the Lord” or may have been an angel sent by God to protect them.
They were not alone, and neither are you.
You are not alone. If the fires in your life are being cranked up, if things that were certain seem uncertain, if places that were comfortable are suddenly uncomfortable, you are NOT alone in it. The last verse and chorus to that song are…
There is no other name
Hillsong United ~ Another in the fire
But the Name that is Jesus
He who was and still is
And will be through it all
So come what may in the space between
All the things unseen and this reckoning
I know I will never be alone
There’ll be another in the fire
Standing next to me
There’ll be another in the waters
Holding back the seas
And should I ever need reminding
How good You’ve been to me
I’ll count the joy come every battle
‘Cause I know that’s where You’ll be
How can we navigate our battles knowing that God is with us? For me, it helps me to know that even though something took me by surprise, it wasn’t a surprise to God. We see in this song God’s continuous provision for our circumstances.
What represents the fire in your life?
Is it a health or financial struggle? Maybe a challenging relationship, or depression. There is another standing in the fire with you. Jesus.
He will never leave you, you are not alone. You don’t have to control everything or have everything figured out. You can lean on Him during the trials and fires of life, and maintain a place of peace in the midst of it all.
We love backyard fires and smores.
My family loves to sit by the fire in our backyard. We have had some of our best conversations there. When we are finished and go inside, we all take a shower. Just sitting by the fire, your hair and your clothes smell like smoke. They do not want to go to bed smelling like smoke.
There was NO smell of fire on them in Daniel 3:27.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego got out of that incredibly hot fire without a hair on their head burned, robes intact, and they did not even smell like smoke! Only God could have organized that!
Whatever fire you are facing, may you have peace knowing that you are not alone. May you come out of this fire without smelling like smoke, no evidence of the trial except for a deeper trust, and awareness of His presence than you ever had before!
Reclaiming Trust in Him Together,
That is such an amazing song. And this is such a great reminder of what God can do! It was enough that they weren’t burned up but coming out with no smoky smell on their clothing – truly awesome! Also He loves us enough to be with us in the tough times we face in life!!!