Fire that doesn’t burn, and Lions that don't bite

Hook

I was only 14. But at that age, I thought I had it all figured out.

After months of early mornings and hard training, I had finally earned my place on the basketball team. I wasn't just another kid showing up to play—I had game, and it had opened doors. That summer was supposed to be the breakthrough. The regional tournament was coming up. Every morning at 5 a.m., I'd run drills. Practice. Sweat. Dream.

And then came the news—the kind of news a 14-year-old basketball kid only dreams about.

NBA players were coming J.R. Smith. Al Horford. Anderson. Guys, I watched on TV were coming to my country to run a clinic. And we—I—was going to train under them, even if just for a day.

It felt like destiny.

Until I found out my group was scheduled for Saturday.

I asked—begged—if I could switch to Sunday. I offered solutions. But they said no. And then it got worse. The coach laughed. My teammates mocked. "You're really not going because of your religion?" "You're throwing away your chance?"

One of them even said, "Don't worry—we'll bring you back a cup of their sweat." They made me feel like a fool for obeying God.

That day, I learned something early: Sometimes the furnace is rejection. Sometimes the lions are the voices around you. But even at 14, God was teaching me what it means to stand.

Transition to Sermon

That day, I lost an opportunity, but I kept my conviction. And looking back, I realize I wasn't alone in that moment.

Because my story is not just mine. It's the same story told in Daniel 3 and 6.

God's people, standing alone. Facing fire. Facing lions. Mocked, threatened, thrown in—But never abandoned.

Because the fire doesn't burn when God is present. The lions don't bite when God shuts their mouths. And the trial becomes a testimony.

Let's go there together today.

I. The Crisis You Can't Avoid

Daniel 3:1–12; Daniel 6:1–9 Emotional tone: Identification and rising tension

In life, some crises cannot be avoided. Sometimes these crises come unexpectedly. Daniel's friends, Mishael, Ananias, and Azarias, heard the news. The king is going to dedicate a golden statue.

They were wise men of the kingdom. The king was seeking political loyalty, as some trouble had occurred in the kingdom. That is why the text says that the guests were the leaders of the countries that Nebuchadnezzar had conquered. In fact, the king of Israel, Zedekiah [Jeremiah 51:59-61] was invited.

These boys had proven faithful to God and loved the Lord, but they were about to face a test.

They were living in a system full of pride and selfishness. Full of idolatry. Now the king, seeking political loyalty, employs a religious method to determine who is faithful to Babylon. Now, the dedication had become worshipping the statue. In this life, there are crises that you cannot avoid.

The same thing happened to Daniel. King Darius had placed him above all the wise men of the kingdom, and his companions envied him.

Daniel did everything right at work so they looked for a way to destroy him. Daniel was promoted and then persecuted.

The text states that the companions persuaded the king to issue an edict that required worship to the king for 30 days as proof of loyalty. Interestingly, political loyalty with a religious method is once again sought.

Daniel, now an old man, is still struggling in life. Every struggle and crisis reminded him that he was not at home.

Mishael, Ananias, and Azarias are in front of an arrogant king who demands idol worship. And if they don't, they will be thrown into a fiery furnace.

Daniel threatened not to pray to his God, and if he did, he would be thrown into the lions' den.

Application

Often, obedience to God leads to conflict with the world's systems, and

I would like to focus solely on the beautiful aspects of the Bible. It's more popular, less complex. But when I come to the biblical text, I can't overlook it. Yes, in this world, afflictions will come. Sometimes we go to cry because evil surrounds us.

But it is important to remember that you don't choose the trial, but you can choose your loyalty.

II. The Faith That Doesn't Bend or Break

Daniel 3:13-18; Daniel 6:10-13

Emotional tone: Courage and conviction

How would the boys respond to the crisis? And Daniel, would he stop praying to his God?

Daniel 3:13 NASB95

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king.

The king gave them another chance, threatened them with the fiery furnace, and asked them, "What god is there who can deliver you from my hands?"

Consider the situation for a moment. They have all bowed down, even the king of Judah himself.

Why stand up?

It is here that a faith is demonstrated that remains firm, although the result is uncertain. They said to the king:

Daniel 3:16–18 NASB95

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. 17 “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

God can deliver; he is powerful. But if he decides not to do it, we still believe.

Here lies the difference between idolatry and the religion of Israel. Idolatry is a religion fashioned in humanity's image. The worshiper manipulates the idol-object to bless or curse automatically.

The religion of Israel, however, is a revelation from above, of a living God with whom we can establish a personal relationship that not only implies an exchange of love but also of questions. That is why, even when this God does not save, even if He does not bless, the Jew can remain faithful in spite of... (Doukhan, 52).

Many times, we worship God as idolaters worshipped their gods. If I behave well, you will set me free. If I eat healthy, you keep me healthy. If I return the tithes, you give me more money. If I pray more, I am holier. Many see God as a coin machine. I put a dollar in it, and it gives me a soda. That's not the God of the Bible. He works in a relationship. And sometimes we don't have all the answers.

The boys were willing to take all the risks; they knew their God. The Hebrews stand tall under imperial pressure.

Pause as a transition

On that occasion, Daniel was not present. The reason we do not know, the text does not say. However, later his faith was also tested.

Daniel 6:10 NASB95

10 Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.

Daniel, why? You just had to close the windows. Here, the test was somewhat different. Do not testify to your God. Don't make it public. Daniel could well have closed the windows and continued to pray, hidden in the house. But this meant a lack of faith.

The reason Daniel prayed with the windows open in the direction of Jerusalem was to hold onto the hope of one day returning to Jerusalem. Daniel had faith that even in Babylon, God was working for His people. “But for Daniel, closing the windows meant closing his hope.

How much today have we lost the courage to worship God in front of others? Society pushes us to hide. But God does not call us to pray even in the midst of pressure.

Paradoxically, today we have all the freedom to pray, yet we pray less. There is no edict that forbids us to pray, yet life moves so fast that we forget the power of prayer.

Daniel prays faithfully despite the threat of death.

Key truth

True faith remains when results are uncertain.

God is worthy whether He delivers or not.

Application

Faith is not reactive—it's rooted.

What you do in private with God shapes how you stand in public for Him.

Both the boys and Daniel trusted God. They did not victimize themselves. They didn't ask themselves, Why is this happening to me? They trusted. They knew God, and if God is there, everything changes.

III. The Presence That Changes Everything

Daniel 3:24-25; Daniel 6:22-23 Emotional tone: Awe and spiritual confidence

What would God do right now?

When things like this happen to us, we always want an explanation. But the Bible is not an answer to the problem of pain. Instead, it is a revelation of

The wisdom of the One who does have the answer. It does not provide us with an answer to suffering, but it does reveal to us a God of love. We must accept that it is not a matter of understanding but of trusting. Christ Himself did not come into the world to explain suffering to us, but to assume it; He did not come to give us a theory, but the possibility of redemption. Christ's death on the Cross is not the answer to pain; it is the alternative.

God doesn't block the fire—He enters it.

Oh yes. This is what happened. The king ordered the oven to be heated. It was so hot that the soldiers died as they approached the flames. Ahh, but remember that if God is present, the fire does not burn. Hallelujah... fire will not be able to burn you if God is with you. The boys knew Isaiah's promise.

Isaiah 43:2 NASB95

2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.

The text says that they were bound. The text emphasizes five times that the young people were bound. Everything indicated that it was the end of the boys. But the fire was very selective. He burned the soldiers, he burned the bonds, but he didn't do anything at all to the boys. The king said:

Daniel 3:24–25 NASB95

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, “Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, O king.” 25 He said, “Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!”

Oh hallelujah... God is present; fire has no power to burn.

God was with Daniel, and the lions did nothing to him. King Darius was worried and could only say:

Daniel 6:16 NASB95

16 Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions’ den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.”

Someone might ask, Isn't Daniel God's prophet? How is it possible that, if he has served his God for decades, he does not save him? Daniel is innocent; it was all out of envy. It leaves me stunned how Daniel did not try to defend himself against his accusers and patiently went down to a grave, the lions' den. But the next day, Daniel said:

God sent his angel. Ahh, I imagine that encounter between Daniel and the angel. Praise God.

God did not save him from falling into the pit, but he sent his angel to protect him.

He doesn't silence the lions before—He sends an angel into the den.

And God flips the trial: Listen carefully

The fire kills the soldiers and burns only the bonds.

The lions eat the accusers, not Daniel.

The very tool meant to destroy God's people becomes the means of their deliverance and vindication.

The fire that your enemies raise against you will only serve to burn the bonds of your life. The very fire that enemies raise, God will use to set you free. Do not despair in the midst of the fire, for it will not burn you if God is by your side. Don't be afraid of the lions, they won't bite you if God is on your side.

Application

The trial you fear may be the tool God uses to set you free and shut your enemies down.

IV. The Testimony That Comes After

Daniel 3:28-30; Daniel 6:25-28 Emotional tone: Triumph and vision

Pagan kings become messengers of God.

The stories end in global proclamation, not private relief.

Literary Reflection (Doukhan):

These chapters follow a chiastic arc: faith → trial → deliverance → witness → exaltation.

But here's the larger frame:

Daniel 3 and 6 are more than stories—they are models.

They show us how God delivers His people in history and in prophecy.

Just as chapters 4–5 show God's efforts to save individuals, chapters 3 and 6 show how God rescues His faithful community during times of persecution.

These narratives prepare us for the apocalyptic half of Daniel (chapters 7–12), where we see the same pattern:

God's people are faithful, oppressed, sometimes martyred—but ultimately delivered.

Daniel 3 and 6 are prophetic previews of what's to come—both in Daniel's visions and in the last days.

Application

These are not just ancient miracles. They are divine patterns.

The same God who was faithful in Babylon and Persia will be faithful again.

Conclusion and Apeal

You may be walking through fire today. Or surrounded by lions.

But this is not the end of your story.

God is present. He limits the damage. He vindicates. He glorifies Himself through you.

And one day soon, what happened in Daniel 3 and 6 will happen again on a global scale.

God will deliver His people. The beast may roar. The furnace may blaze. But God wins.

And when He is with you, the fire won't burn. The lions won't bite. And your story will become part of His eternal testimony.