We wrap up our four-week series today, looking at Daniel chapter 3.
Let me ask you this: do you love a good bonfire? Living in the Midwest, a good backyard fire pit is practically a requirement! But you know exactly what happens when you leave the fire. That smoke gets into everything. It gets into your jacket, it gets into your hair, and you can even wake up the next morning and your pillow smells like a campfire. You can take a shower, throw your clothes in the wash, and somehow, that smell of smoke still lingers for days. It just clings to you!
That's what makes the end of the story in Daniel 3 so absolutely mind-blowing.
King Nebuchadnezzar has just seen the Fourth Man in the fire, and he is completely stunned. He calls Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to come out of the blazing furnace. And when they step out, a massive crowd of royal officials gathers around them to inspect the damage.
Listen to what it says in Daniel 3:27: "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."
Come on! Not even the smell of smoke!
I think so many of us struggle with this. We know God loves us. We know we are forgiven. But deep down, we feel like the smell of smoke is still lingering. When we look at our past mistakes, our failures, and the times we've totally compromised, we carry this heavy burden of shame. We think to ourselves, "Sure, God forgave me, but He definitely still remembers what I did. He still smells the smoke of my past."
But here is the incredible, life-changing truth: When Jesus went to the cross, He didn't just give us a quick rinse. He willingly walked into the ultimate, consuming fire of God's wrath against our sin, and He took all of it. Because of His finished work, you are completely justified. God doesn't do a partial rescue.
When the Father looks at you today, He does not catch a whiff of your past mistakes. He doesn't smell the smoke of your failures or your shame. He only sees the absolute, perfect righteousness of His Son, Jesus! You are totally clean.
Prayer is never a duty we perform to try and scrub ourselves clean, or to somehow earn our way back into God's good graces. Prayer is simply the beautiful privilege of running into the arms of a loving Father, resting completely in the fact that because of Jesus, we are already spotless.
As we head into our prayer time today, let's focus on two things:
Self-Reflection: Take a moment to just breathe in the grace of God. Ask the Father, "Lord, where am I still holding onto the shame of my past?" Hand that over to Him, and then let His Word comfort you. Thank Him that because of Jesus, there is no smell of smoke on you.
Pray for Others: Let's intercede for the people in our church and our community who are carrying incredibly heavy shame right now. Ask God, who is always actively working through His Word, to completely saturate their hearts with the Gospel today. Pray that they would encounter the absolute freedom of knowing they are completely forgiven and entirely loved.
Let's go enjoy some time with our good Father! Amen!