Dear Faith Family, 

“But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” (Daniel 3:25). 

Have you seen it?  I saw it, but I didn’t know what I was looking at.  I asked and this is what I found out. 

“One of the core values in Hispanic and Latino cultures is ‘la familia’ – meaning family. The Atlanta Braves are displaying that value with their newest recurring celebration. With eight players on the current roster who were born in Latin American countries (despite the loss of Ronald Acuña Jr., who was born in Venezuela), the Braves are making an effort to embody that value every time they hit the field. Each time a Braves player gets a hit, they look to the dugout and do a gesture where they lock their fingers together with arms hoisted above their head, and the guys on the bench do it back. At first, fans were confused on what it meant, but the Braves broadcast dug into it during the opening series with the Phillies to clear it up. Venezuelan-born Braves coach Eddie Pérez told Wiley Ballard, Braves broadcast reporter for Bally Sports, that the gesture signals togetherness and being unified as a group,” (Noah Griffith). 

The “ah-ha” happened last night as we were working through the third chapter of Daniel.  You know the story, right?  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  You do remember them, don’t you?  They were the three guys in all of Babylon who didn’t take a knee before Nebuchadnezzar’s 90 foot golden statue.  The result?  After giving the guys a second chance, Nebuchadnezzar planned on turning them into Snap, Crackle, and Pop! 

Didn’t happen.  God had other ideas.  No snap.  No crackle.  And no pop.  In fact, the guys walked out of the fire odorlessly!  There’s so much here to absorb and to apply.  So, here’s the point, the “ah-ha”: 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t have to walk through the furnace alone.  First and foremost, there were four of them walking (note that they were bound when they were cast into the fire) in the furnace.  They were not alone.  God was there with them.  And God gave them each other.  They were not alone.  They were together.  Wouldn’t you like to listen in on their conversations? 

The New Testament certainly reaffirms the togetherness.  Jesus sent His disciples out, not by themselves.  It just makes sense that the same covenantal God of the Old and New Testaments would send out his disciples (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) together. 

God isn’t simply building individual individuals.  He’s building His kingdom.  Kingdom requires togetherness.  So, as I stand by the fiery furnace (you can actually feel the heat outside today in SC!) and observe four men walking in the fire, I give thanks.  I give thanks for the brother / sister disciples with whom I get to do together.  Rejoicing together.  Weeping together.  Standing firm together.  Walking through the fire together.  In short?  Following Jesus together.  Together with Him and with each other. 

Who are you walking together with? (Insert hand signal here.) 

Thankful to be walking together, 
Pastor Karl