“The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty” (Zephaniah 3:17a, KJV). What comfort and strength we can draw from those eleven words of truth! The Lord our God is in our midst, and He is mighty indeed! He is not one who stands at a distance, but instead He gets right in the middle of our daily lives.
I think about the Bible’s account of the Hebrew men Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. In their day, the king of the land, Nebuchadnezzar, passed a law declaring that all citizens must bow down and worship a certain golden statue. However, not wanting to violate their commitment to their Lord, they refused to bow even though the penalty was death by fire.
When they faced their consequence of being placed into a fiery furnace, the king was so irate that he ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. It was so hot that even the men who threw them into the furnace were killed when they got near the extreme heat. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were left bound in the middle of a blazing fire. Yet, in the midst of such cruelty, something very interesting and amazing happened.
After a while, King Nebuchadnezzar looked on and was astonished to see four men walking around in the furnace. He asked his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” (Daniel 3:24, NKJV). “’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” (Daniel 3:25).
This account illustrates the timeless truth that God is with us even in our darkest hour. When these Hebrew men were left in a hopeless situation, God didn’t just stand back and watch; He got right in the middle of their situation and delivered them.
God will do the same for you! When you’re facing a hopeless situation, He is in your midst. When you’re being challenged and stretched, He is in your midst. When you’re stressed, He is in your midst. When you’ve been treated wrongly, He is in your midst. God is not afraid to get right in the thick of things! Know that in any situation you may be dealing with, He is right there with you.
The psalmist David wrote, “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me” (Psalm 139:7-10, NLT).
Certainly, it’s comforting to know God is with us, but the promise doesn’t stop there! Not only is He in our midst, but He is mighty, and He will save! God miraculously kept Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego safe in a deadly fiery furnace. Not only did He bring them out alive, but they came out without a hair being singed or even the smell of smoke. Truly, this was a miracle!
In the same way, God can bring you through challenges that seem impossible to overcome. He can deliver you out of hopeless situations. Indeed, when the Lord is “in the midst of thee,” it makes all the difference!
Reflections 