The Heat is On

June is here, and that means a very different thing to those who are in Wisconsin than it does to us here in the desert. The heat is on. Even my visiting Belizean friends. who live in 90º weather with 90% humidity all year round, have been amazed by our desert heat.
 
In the Bible, the heat being turned up is used as a reference to a time of testing or refining. Psalm 66 says, “You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined…. We went through fire and through water, yet You brought us out into a place of abundance.” 1 Peter 1 says, “Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed.”
 
In Daniel 3, which is what we will be looking at on Sunday, the heat was turned up for Ananiah, Hazariah, and Mishael. These guys are also known by their Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their faith was tested in a unique and intense way. They were thrown into a fiery furnace and came through unharmed. They were sustained by God’s presence.
 
My prayer is that, if you are feeling the heat of conflict or fear or temptation rise in your life, you will spend some time in Jesus' presence. I pray that you will find that His grace is sufficient for whatever you may be facing. And that you will make it to the other side of the Refiner’s fire, freer and more fulfilled than ever.
 
David