Fireproof Fingers

Even if you're not a Christian, you've probably heard the Biblical story about the three Hebrew boys who were fireproof. In Daniel 3:10, King Nebuchadnezzar made a decree that when certain music was played, every man must fall down and worship the golden image of the king. The three Hebrew boys - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego - decided that would rather die than to obey this decree. They boldly proclaimed to the king, "But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up" Daniel 3:18.

As a result, they were cast immediately in a fiery furnace heated seven times its normal temperature. Everyone - the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors - watching this drama expected their demise; and even today, we would anticipate they would be burnt to ashes. But the Bible tells us that after these three boys were thrown in the furnace, the king looked into the furnace and said, "Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" Daniel 3:25. Jesus was with the boys in the fire!

The king urgently ordered that they come out of the furnace and everyone noticed that "Upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them" Daniel 3:27. After coming out of the furnace, there was no evidence that the three Hebrew boys were ever in the fire. Because of Jesus, they became fireproof.

This may seem unbelievable to many, but I've recently had my own fireproof experience. I was working on a church community project that required me to use a heat press which was heated to 325 degrees. While I was using it, the heat press began slipping off its base; and without thinking, I grabbed the heat press plate with my left hand. The pain that shot through my body was indescribable. Immediately, I regretted my actions and held back tears as I ran to the sink. Even the cold water flowing through the faucet could not ease the burning sensation and intense pain. I watched as my fingers began to swell. So many thoughts ran through my mind in those moments, how was I going to finish this project? When would this pain end? Will my fingers ever be the same again?

My four fingers were so badly burnt that my husband wanted to take me to the emergency room. However, it was late in the evening and I was now exhausted. I promised to go to the hospital the following day if my fingers got worst. Well, I had a very rough night. I got up every few hours to switch ice packs. The next day, my fingers were still swollen even though the pain had somewhat subside. It was a Friday and I couldn't wait for the work day to be over. One of the friends recommended that I make a charcoal paste and put it on my fingers. I didn't get the chance to do that, but I kept on icing my hand.

On Sabbath morning after waking up, I realized there was no pain in my fingers. I looked at them. Blinked a few times. Look at my other hand and sat right up in bed. The fingers on my left hand, which were severely burnt two days before, looked exactly the same as the fingers on my right hand. There was no evidence that I accidently pressed them against a 350 degrees heat press plate. I began praising God, my fingers were fireproof! Just like the three Hebrew boys, the fire had no lasting power over my fingers. WOW... What a miracle! Jesus healed me on the Sabbath day. Words cannot express how overjoyed I was...

My God, My God, My God - Thank you.

Over the next several days, I kept looking at my fingers on my left hand in awe. I kept showing them to my friends and family. I kept retelling the story of being fireproof like the three Hebrew boys through the grace of Jesus. My heart is overjoyed and I must declare like King Nebuchadnezzar did, "There is no other God that can deliver after this sort" Daniel 3:29. My Jesus restored my fingers. He re-engineered my fingerprints. He reminded me that He has the power to make anyone fireproof.

He may not prevent us from being thrown in the fiery furnace. He may not prevent us from grabbing a hold of an extra hot heat press plate. However, He will be with us through those experiences and He will erase any evidence that we were burnt by fire. Isaiah 43:2 confirms this. It says, "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." So if you are in the midst of life's fire, call on Jesus. He will make you fireproof!

- Submitted by BB