October 2025 – Healing with Harotian

Hello Friends,

Today I was led to read Daniel 3, the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego and the fiery furnace. I love reading this story because it reminds me how faithful God is and how much He loves us. If you are unfamiliar with the story, here is a quick rundown. There was a king named Nebuchadnezzar who built a statue out of gold that he wanted everyone in his kingdom to worship when music played. Anyone who didn’t worship that statue he threatened with death, specifically, was thrown into “a burning fiery furnace” (Daniel 3:6 NKJV). So one day, a messenger came to Nebuchadnezzar to tell him that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were refusing to worship the false god (the golden statue). Nebuchadnezzar became enraged (Daniel 3:13) and demanded that the messenger bring the three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, to him at once. Nebuchadnezzar immediately asked the three friends, “…it is true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?” (Daniel 3:14 NKJV). Nebuchanezzar plaining stated in verse 15 that if Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego do not worship the golden statue, they will be thrown in the fiery furnace. Now here is the interesting part, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego responded, “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18). In other words, their faith was so grounded in the Lord, they believed in His power to save them from the fire. But they also accepted that if God chose not to save them from the fire, that would not waiver their faith. They were committed to standing firm in God’s goodness and faithfulness.

So, of course, Nebuchanezzar was furious and threw the three friends in the fiery furnace. Yet, something happened that the king and his followers did not expect. Not only did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego not burn in the fire, but there was a fourth person in the fire described by Nebuchadnezzar as “…and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:25b). How amazing is that? Not only did God save them from a fiery furnance, the “Son of God” was with them. Can you imagine having the Lord by your side during a moment where you could be terrified? But that’s life right? We face firey moments and God offers His peace and grace through it all. We are never alone during moments that are meant to scare us. Just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, we are given everlasting peace. “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16).

One more miracle occurred as a result of this extraordinary event. Not only were the three saved from the fire, but the event also made King Nebuchadnezzar a believer. “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Adeb-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.” (Daniel 3:28 NKJV). How miraculous! Nebuchanezzar gave up his own pride to worship our Lord. Hallelujah!

How many times do we find ourselves in a fiery furnace? How many times do we feel lost or confused because we feel hopeless? Guess what, friend? We are not alone. We are not futile. We are not lost. God is with us. Jesus is with us every step of the way.

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” — Matthew 28:20

“Do not fear, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” — Isaiah 41:10

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever…”

— John 14:16-17

Be hopeful, friends. You are not alone. Lean into God and pray that you feel the presence of the Lord. Remember, just because you don’t “feel” Him, it doesn’t mean He is not there. He is waiting for your invitation into your life. He is loving Father, waiting to hear your voice. Talk to Him as you would a your best friend. He is here to listen and comfort you while blessing you every day.

Thank you for reading my thoughts, friends. I pray you all feel the love of Christ every minute of every day.

Hello Friends,

Writing has been on my mind almost daily. I think about all of the things I can write about and how they may help people who come across my blog. Yet, somehow, I seem to talk myself out of it. Coming up with excuses as to why I shouldn’t write: “I’m too busy”, “I’m tired”, “No one is going to read it”, “No one will want to read my thoughts”, etc., etc. However, I can’t seem to get it off of my mind. I find the more I ignore the desire, the busier my mind becomes. My brain is flooded with a tidal wave of ideas, reflecting on ways I can share my thoughts with the world.

Then, something miraculous happened. God spoke to me, reminding me that the desire to write has been placed in my heart for a reason. While checking my email, I ran across a scripture from Rick Warren that read, “The Lord gave me this answer: ‘Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance.’” Habakkuk 2:2 (GNT). It felt as though God was sitting beside me and whispered in my ear, “Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you…”. Some may describe it as a light-bulb moment, but I describe it as a clear message from Jesus to share the revelations that He has been giving me with the world. The lessons I learn aren’t for me to gate-keep, but to help those on this side of heaven who are going through what I have been or are currently going through with my gift of writing.

So of course, I had to dig deeper into Scripture. Hearing God’s voice so clearly is such an intimate delicacy. The more I hear it, the more I yearn to be in His presence. It is a safe and loving place to be in. As I’m sitting here, I am trying to figure out something to compare it to, but there is nothing on earth that would equate to sitting in the presence of the Lord. Understanding one’s purpose in life is what every human strives for. Some are fortunate enough to have a clear understanding of what their purpose is and how to use it. Some have to search, trial and error, to determine a reason to wake up every day and get through life. So when that time comes when our purpose has been revealed, it is like seeing the face of a beautiful bride after her veil has been removed for all the world to see.

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
1 Peter 4:10-11

I’ve known for over half my life that my purpose was to help people. The question of helping people has left me feeling lost. I have attempted so many avenues of what I thought that help should look like. And what I thought was failure may have been me leaving a residual footprint of inspiration and love that resembles the love of Christ. That is my hope anyway. But writing… writing has always been my first love and now I know the purpose of that love.

Thank you for reading my thoughts. I pray that God reveals your path in life and gives you the strength to follow through. I love you all.

Month: October 2025

Standing Firm at the Sight of Fire

Living Your Best Life Through God Given Gifts