Here are 7 Bible verses that firefighters can live by.
(1) Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”
I have so much respect for the firefighters because they put their life at risk nearly every time they encounter a fire. They have saved untold numbers of lives but for the firefighter, may this verse give them comfort and reassurance that they might not be burned and the flame might not consume them.
(2) Daniel 3:17 “If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.”
I understand that this was said by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego but many times I have heard about a firefighter’s miraculous escape from certain death. The fact that some are Christian gives these firefighters more courage to risk their life because they understand that they already have eternal life by their belief in Christ (John 3:16-17).
(3) John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
Every fire is a chance for a firefighter to lose their life and they lay down their life for the community that they serve. Is there any greater love than someone who willingly lays down their life for their friends like Jesus did? Next to that great love is the firefighter’s willingness to risk his or her life to save others.
(4) Deuteronomy 9:3 “But be assured today that the LORD your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the LORD has promised you.”
Even though a firefighter cannot predict what will happen in a fire, God knows the future and we can put our trust in Him and as in this verse, although it is not talking about passing through a fire, God is the One Who will destroy those who seek to harm us as being like a consuming fire. In Him we can trust, even when our eyes tell us differently.
(5) Joel 2:3 “Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the Garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste – nothing escapes them.”
This is what a devastating fire does; it devours before them and few things can escape the flames. There are stories that I have heard about firefighters where they had flames before them and flames behind them but God made a way of escape. That is my prayer for the firefighters everywhere.
(6) First Corinthians 3:15-17 “If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”
What we do on earth will be rewarded someday by the Lord but what we do to only be seen by others will burn up and be lost. Those who put their lives on the line in fighting fires and rescuing people will be rewarded someday because they were willing to risk their lives to save others.
(7) Daniel 3:27 “And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.”
How many firefighters were willing to risk their own lives and have suffered burns in the performance of their duties? There are so many who have given their lives in the service of saving others that they cannot be counted. The next time you see a firefighter, thank them for their service to the community.
Conclusion
We often take firefighters for granted. We assume they’ll always be there, on call, 24/7, yet how many times do we send them thanks for their service? Can we ever express enough gratitude for how often they put their own life at risk to save others?