Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. – Daniel 3:26-30

I’m curious how warm it was walking in the fire. Obviously no one got burned, but was it hot? How hot was it? Or was it a completely painless experience? Would it have been like taking a walk on a perfect afternoon with good friends?

Seeing that these initial chapters in Daniel focus on the idea of suffering, I am guessing that though I doubt there were lasting internal scars, being in the furnace was most likely physically an uncomfortable experience. However, being that they were joined by Jesus, I doubt they cared too much exactly how hot it was in there. God promises that we will go through trials like that, but He also promises to be there with us, and that is exactly what happened to these three guys.

On top of that, their suffering in the furnace was incredibly fruitful. Nebuchadnezzar was shown again the power of God, their influence gained more steam with their promotion, and God was given importance in the kingdom. Though only a step (Nebuchadnezzar has a long way to go), it is a significant step towards God and lasting influence given to God’s messengers.

This is the effect of righteous suffering. Notice not all suffering has this effect, but righteous suffering does. When we suffer for Christ, our efforts aren’t painless, but they will be rewarded and God will be glorified in them. It may not feel great, but going through those trials with Jesus beside you, the Holy Spirit in you and the rewards awaiting you make a strong argument. Trust Him, and He will make great use of you.