Prayer of the Three Young Men in
the Furnace
January 10, 1993
Brother John Raymond
Around the year 500 B.C. King Nabuchodonosor of Babylonia had
a tall golden statue made of a god. He ordered all the government
officials from the provinces under his rule to come together for the
dedication of the statue. All were ordered to fall down and worship
the statue or else they would be instantly thrown into a furnace.
At this time the kingdom of Israel was in exile in Babylonia.
Three Jews, Sidrach, Misach and Abdenago had been made administrators
by the king. When everyone else fell down to worship the statue they
refused to do so. When the king heard about this he became very angry
and sent for them. He repeated his threat of death if they did not
comply. He said, "Who is the God that can deliver you out of my
hands?"
The three men still refused to comply. The king ordered the
furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. They were bound
and cast into the furnace. "They walked about in the flames, singing
to God and blessing the Lord."
Upon seeing this miracle the king's men continued add fuel to
the furnace so that the flames of the fire rose very high. An angel
of God kept the flames away from Sidrach and his companions so that
"the fire in no way touched them or caused them pain or harm." The
king was astonished not only by the miracle but because he now saw
four men in the fire. He realized the fourth man must be an angel of
God. So the king went to an opening in the furnace and ordered the
men to come out.
When they came out everyone saw that "not a hair of their
heads had been singed, nor were their garments altered; there was
not even a smell of fire about them." King Nabuchodonosor was so
moved by this miracle that he ordered that anyone who spoke against
the God of Sidrach, Misach and Abdenago would be killed and his house
destroyed.
While the three men were in the furnace they composed a
beautifully inspired song asking all creation to bless the Lord. This
song was prayed by a friend of ours who was fogged in at the airport.
When he had completed the prayer the fog lifted and he was able to
continue on his journey. This song can be a lesson for us to bless
God in all the circumstances of our lives.
Prayer
"Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt Him above
all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord, praise and exalt Him above all
forever.
You heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt Him above all forever.
All you waters above the heavens, etc.
All you hosts of the Lord,
Sun and moon,
Stars of heaven,
Every shower and dew,
All you winds,
Fire and heat,
Cold and chill,
Dew and rain,
Frost and chill,
Ice and snow,
Nights and days,
Light and darkness,
Lightnings and clouds,
Let the earth bless the Lord, praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Mountains and hills,
Everything growing from the earth,
You springs,
Seas and rivers,
You dolphins and all water creatures,
All you birds of the air,
All you beasts wild and tame,
You sons of men,
O Israel,
Priests of the Lord,
Servants of the Lord,
Spirits and souls of the just,
Holy men of humble heart,
Anania, Azaria, Misael, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above
all forever. For He has delivered us from the nether world, and saved
us from the power of death; He has freed us from the raging flame and
delivered us from the fire. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
for His mercy endures forever. Bless the God of gods, all you who fear
the Lord; praise Him and give Him thanks, because His mercy endures
forever." Amen. (Materials are taken from the New American Bible
Copyright 1970 by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington,
D.C. and are used with permission. All rights reserved.)