Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 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. 18 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.”  Daniel 3:16-18 NKJV

As Christians, we all have faith (Rom. 12:3), but we don’t all have unshakable faith. We can sometimes find ourselves “in the fire.” The expression “in the fire” is an idiom that means that you’ve encountered a situation, test or trial that is extremely painful and unbearable; you’re facing a circumstance that threatens to consume you. In order not to be consumed and defeated, you need faith in the fire—an unshakable faith.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused to serve neither king Nebuchadnezzar’s false gods nor bow down to worship the gold mage that he set up. They stood on the Word of God as outlined in the first of God’s commandments ever given to Israel (Ex. 20:2-4). As a consequence, they were casted into a burning fiery furnace, literally. In the face of impending death and being consumed in the flames, they demonstrated their faith—unshakable faith (Dan. 3:16).

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego demonstrated, not an ordinary faith, but an unshakable faith. This strong kind of faith delivered these three Hebrews. Their response to the king showed that that there are three levels of unshakable faith. They said the following to the king: (1) “God is able to deliver us.” They had faith in the power of God (Matt. 28:18; Eph. 3:20); (2) further said, “[God] will deliver us from your hand, O king.” This evidences that they had faith in the promises of God (Ps. 34:17, 19); and, (3) moreover saying to the 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 . . .“ This unquestionably proves that they had a deep faith in the character of God and His Word (Deut. 31:6, 8; Josh. 1:5; Heb. 13:5; Matt. 18:20).

Metaphorically, when you find yourself “in the fire”, just know that every fiery experience has a God-ordained purpose when you stand with unshakable faith (Rom. 8:28), regardless of the circumstance or situation—God is at work, and He will meet you in the midst of the fire just like He did with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (Dan. 3:24-25).

Again, not only did their unshakable faith deliver them, it also converted a whole nation to the true God (Prov. 16:7). Unshakable faith is knowing that no matter what you’re facing—even in the midst of the fire—nothing is greater than God. Faith in the fire knows that God can do anything, and He will deliver you from all things including a premature death. God said, “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” (Isa. 43:2). Faith in the fire is unshakable faith!