Daniel (Greek) 3:51-57: a reflection

51Then the three, as out of one mouth, praised, glorified, and blessed God in the furnace, saying, 52“Blessed are you, O Lord, you God of our fathers, to be praised and exalted above all forever! 53Blessed is your glorious and holy name, to be praised and exalted above all forever! 54Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, to be praised and glorified above all forever! 55Blessed are you who see the depths and sit upon the cherubim, to be praised and exalted above all forever. 56Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, to be praised and extolled above all forever! 57Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven, to be praised and glorified forever!

Thrown into a blazing furnace for refusing to worship the king's idol, the three young men do something remarkable: they praise God. From within the flames, the account says, they praised, glorified, and blessed God as with one voice: Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our fathers, to be praised and exalted above all forever. Blessed is your glorious and holy name. On and on their worship rises, not after their rescue, but from inside the fire itself.

Notice when they worship: in the furnace, not out of it. They do not wait until they are safe to bless God; they bless him in the flames, before any deliverance has come, while the fire still burns around them. Their praise does not depend on their circumstances improving; it flows from who God is, worthy of praise whether they burn or are saved. In the very place of suffering and danger, they lift their voices to bless the Lord.

That is a striking model of worship. We often make our praise conditional on our circumstances: we will bless God when the trial passes, when the rescue comes, when things improve. The three young men bless him in the furnace, before any of that. Worship, at its truest, is not a response to good circumstances but a response to who God is, and God is worthy of praise even in the fire. When you are in your own furnace, in the midst of suffering or danger, do not wait for deliverance to worship. Bless God there, in the flames, for he is worthy of praise even before the rescue, even if it never comes as we hope. Praise him in the fire.

Lord, the three young men praised and blessed you from within the blazing furnace, not waiting for rescue but worshiping in the fire, because you are worthy of praise whatever the circumstances. When I am in my own furnace of suffering or danger, keep me from making my worship conditional on deliverance. Help me bless you there, in the flames, for who you are, worthy of praise even before the rescue comes. Teach me to worship you in the fire, not only out of it.