You Don't Have to Smell Like Smoke - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - January 8, 2025
“And the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. 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.” Daniel 3:27
My husband enjoys building wood fires in our backyard smoker. Although the meat tastes delicious cooked in it, the smoky smell seems to pervade the outside air and hang around for a while, like sitting near a campfire, where the smoke is absorbed by our hair and clothes, and we walk away smelling like a chimney.
As well, those who smoke or live with smokers know how it permeates and sticks to every area of their lives, revealing to anyone who comes near that they’ve been in a smoking environment where it has been absorbed into clothes, hair, houses, and cars.
Many of us have been through some difficult and tragic events this past year—life changing experiences—the kind that have a tendency to leave their residue on us, like sitting near a fire. Sadly, local, national, and worldwide tragedies have taken place this year, leaving their mark on countless weary and distraught hearts, bringing devastating losses and unimaginable grief.
But for Christians, it doesn’t have to be that way because God goes through these experiences with us, freeing us from being bound by them and carrying the residue of their effects with us. He is our shelter in the darkest of times.
Psalm 91:1 assures us, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”
Our comfort comes from knowing God is with us and taking refuge in Him, a safe place where the smokiness of a situation can’t destroy us. Psalm 46:1 assures us, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
The Old Testament tells the story of Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar, who made a golden idol and commanded everyone who lived in the land to bow down and worship it. Openly defying a king’s edict brought dire consequences, and, in this case, its penalty carried the judgment of being thrown into a blazing furnace, with no exceptions allowed (Daniel 3:4-6).
As it happened, some astrologers noticed and reported to the king that three Jewish leaders set over the province’s affairs, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were not worshipping his idol (Daniel 3:8-11).
Enraged, he confronted them, to which “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up’” (Daniel 3:16-18).
Furious with their bold response, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the furnace to be turned up seven times hotter than usual. He then ordered the strongest soldiers in his army to bind them up fully dressed in their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, and throw them into the blazing furnace. However, because the furnace was so hot, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fire (Daniel 3:19-23).
All seemed lost to the three Jewish leaders who would not bow down. Still, remarkably, as written in Daniel 3:24-26, something amazing happened: “Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, ‘Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?’ They replied, ‘Certainly, Your Majesty.’ He said, ‘Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.’ Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!’ So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire.”
God is with us when we go through trials and tribulations; like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abedngo, we aren’t alone. God is with us, too, and like them, we can come through the most fiery of situations not only free from being charred by the flames but also free from smelling like its smoky residue.
Let’s Pray:
Dear Father, thank You for being with us through all of life’s trials and tribulations. Our hearts are forever grateful that You never leave us or forsake us, not even in the fiercest of fiery situations.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
Photo Credit: ©md Jerry/Unsplash
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.
Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.
Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.
I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
