The Presence That Pulled My Two-Year-Old Out of The Fire
What Psalms 66 Teaches Us About Refining Fire
No kidding, there we were, propped up on miniature chairs, fresh wood cracking in the fire pit, crisp air brushing against our faces. The sky was a perfect blue above us, and the lake and mountains set the tone for God's creation. The warmth from the newly lit fire lifted our souls. It had been a long night sleeping on the ground with the girls tucked in beside me, but we were pumped to be together.
I stood near the fire, enjoying its heat, when something utterly terrifying happened.
My 2½-year-old daughter got up from her little chair, tripped over a rock, and stumbled—full front of her body—straight into the fire.
Time slowed. In what felt like a Matrix-style reflex, I reached down, grabbed the back of her shirt, and yanked her out.
Heart racing, I held her trembling body and prepared for the worst—burnt skin, hair singed, the scent of fire embedded in her tiny frame. She sobbed. I searched.
But there was no smell.
No burns.
No singe.
No scar.
As I held her, stunned, my 4-year-old daughter, Sophia, watched quietly and then said something that made the heavens feel near:
“Dada… Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.”
Sophia is wise beyond her years—and at that moment, she saw what I saw.
Someone else had been in the fire with my daughter.
Have you ever been in a fire?
No, not a literal one.
A trial.
A season that burns, refines, or breaks you down.
Are you in one now?
If so, you’re not alone.
I hope that after today, you’ll walk away empowered and seen, reminded that the fire you’re walking through is not your end… it’s the very place God reveals His presence and leads you into something deeper.
“We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.”
Psalm 66:12
The Psalmist knew something about fire—not just the heat of flames but the affliction that purifies and transforms. Fire and water were not the end of the story. They were the means by which God brought His people to abundance, that being Himself.
This morning, I opened my Bible and was brought to this verse. Then to Isaiah 43:2:
“When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
And again to Deuteronomy 31:6, 8, where Moses reminds Joshua:
“The Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
The Presence in the Fire
God never promised we wouldn’t face the fire.
He promised we wouldn’t face it alone.
Just like the fourth man in the furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3:25), God’s presence walks us through what should destroy us. And He brings us out refined, not ruined. Victorious, not defeated.
That’s the power of Psalm 66:12.
The Never Finished Challenge: Ask and See
This week’s challenge is simple—but it will change how you face fire.
Memorize a verse that reminds you of God’s presence.
And the next time you find yourself in the heat, don’t just ask,
“God, get me out of this.”
Ask:
“God, what are You teaching me in this?”
(– credit to Andrew Day)
Remember, God doesn’t just send fire through scripture—He is the fire. His presence consumes sin but purifies His people.
Lastly, be encouraged with this, James 1:2–4 says, “The testing produces perseverance—and maturity.”
You aren’t alone.
So bring God in and bring others in.
What Does Today Say About God?
Presence.
Did you know?
One in four children in the U.S. grows up in a fatherless home. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2022)
But God is not a statistic.
He is not an absent Father.
He is eternal. Present. Faithful.
He doesn’t abandon us when we sin.
Even when we grieve the Holy Spirit or ignore His voice, His presence remains.
These truths humble me, draw me in, and stir something deep:
A fierce desire never to take Him for granted.
What a Father.
What a King.
What a Friend.
Thank You, Jesus.
Wow!