Leader Guide

Activity

Read Daniel 3:24–25 (nfcu):

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” 

Show the cup without the lid. Hold up the stick, but be careful to not show “Jesus” written on the back of the stick. Let’s say this cup represents a trial, temptation, or any difficult situation we might face. This stick represents us. 

Put the lid on the cup and tap the top of the lid with the stick, showing it can’t be placed inside. Now, nobody prefers to go through these times, right? Our prayer most of the time is for God to keep us out of danger and to protect us from these situations—like asking God to put a lid on any difficult situation so we don’t end up in one.

In our Bible story, did God remove the three Hebrew men from the difficult situation? Did He put a lid on the top of the fiery furnace so the men could not be thrown inside?

No, He certainly could have, but this was not God’s plan. What do you think might have happened if God had kept the men out of the furnace?

Do you think that the king would have seen God’s power and ability to save His faithful followers who refused to bow down?

Do you think he would have ordered that all people worship only the Hebrew men’s God?

Take the lid off the cup and place the stick inside, being careful not to show “Jesus”. You see, for God’s will and plan to be done, we will find ourselves in uncomfortable situations at times. We will deal with suffering and trials. Jesus and His disciples certainly did, as they submitted to God’s plan. Yet we know for certain that we will not go through the trial or difficulty alone! Jesus said in our SuperVerse that we can be sure that He will be with us always! Yes, He didn’t promise to remove us from every difficulty, but He promised to be with us always, no matter what!

Turn over the stick in the cup to reveal “Jesus” and rest it on the inside of the cup. In the verses we just read, the fourth person in the furnace is the Son of God—Jesus! Yes, Jesus was with God from the beginning—long before He was born as a baby in Bethlehem. Jesus was present when Earth was created. And at different times in the Old Testament, Jesus appeared to leaders God chose, such as Abraham, Jacob and Gideon. With Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, God did not remove the Hebrew men from going through their trial, yet He was right there with them to accomplish a much greater end as part of His master plan.

Lead a discussion with the following questions.

Ask:

• What is the most difficult part of trusting that Jesus is with you? There is no right or wrong answer here!
• Imagine yourself as one of the three Hebrew men. How would it feel to be in the fire, alive, and then see Jesus beside you?
• Have you ever been in a difficult situation and you knew Jesus was with you through it?
• How could you tell He was there with you?
• Have you ever trusted God in a difficult situation and seen how God affected others through your faith, like the king was affected by the Hebrew men’s faith?
• Do you think that now you can better stand up for God and do what is right, knowing that Jesus is with you all the time?