Daniel 3:30 “Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, in the province of Babylon” [NKJV]
This is a great ending to a very powerful bible illustration. As we know King Nebuchadnezzar had placed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego into a fiery furnace as punishment. They met Jesus in that fire and came out unscathed and with a mighty testimony! They went through an integrity test, then a belief test and finally through the test of fire. When they came out of that furnace even the smell of the fire did not linger on them. They had received their promotion!
What a voyage to promotion this was for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. Sometimes in life the promotion process can appear to be a seemingly endless and unfruitful time. A time when everything can appear to be the opposite of what we expect. There can be lies told about us, everything we believe in gets shaken and then to top it off we are thrown into a fiery furnace. “This can’t be promotion,” we often think. Then out of the flames, the fumes and the fire we see Jesus. He walks with us, bringing us to victory. Our promotion is here!!!
Each of us will go through the process of promotion in different seasons of life. As Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came forth without the smell of the fire on them so too when we are rescued to our promotion the smell of adversity will not remain on us either. When we come out of the fiery test with Jesus the smell of the fire will not taint our promotion or our future.
This week Jesus is with you champion. Just as God rescued these three boys and then they were promoted, God is with you and you too will receive your promotion. Remember – there will be no sign lingering from the tests you went through to receive promotion... Just evidence that Jesus is with you!
