Hey friends! Welcome back to Strong and Courageous! Have you ever been in a situation where you felt pressure to fit in — maybe everyone around you was doing something you knew wasn’t right, and you didn’t want to be the only one to stand out?

It’s not easy to go against the crowd, but sometimes following God means standing firm even when it’s hard.

Today, we’re talking about three brave young men who did exactly that — and how God showed up in the middle of the fire.

A long time ago, there was a king named Nebuchadnezzar who built a giant golden statue. It was huge — taller than a building! And the king made a rule: when the music played, everyone had to bow down and worship it.

Anyone who refused would be thrown into a blazing furnace.

Now, three young men — Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego — loved God and followed His ways. When the music played, everyone else bowed down… except them.

They stood tall.

The king was furious. He gave them one more chance and said, “If you don’t bow, you’ll be thrown into the fire.”

But they answered with courage:

“We don’t need to defend ourselves. The God we serve is able to save us. But even if He doesn’t, we will not bow.”

Wow — that’s real faith.

The king was so angry that he made the fire seven times hotter and threw them in. The flames were roaring, but then something amazing happened.

When the king looked into the fire, he saw not three men — but four!

The fourth looked like “a son of God.”

God was right there with them in the fire.

And when the men came out, they weren’t burned, their clothes weren’t damaged — they didn’t even smell like smoke!

Sometimes God doesn’t take away the fire — but He promises to be with you in it.

When life feels hard, when people don’t understand your faith, when standing for God feels lonely — remember this: you are never alone.

God stands with you in every “fire” you face.