On the fourth day of creation, God gave the world its rhythm.

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.”
—Genesis 1:14

Before that moment, light had been created. But now—it was assigned.

The sun stood in its place.
The moon began her watch.
The stars found their positions, each one planted like a diamond in the velvet of the night.

Day four was when time found its pulse.

Morning and evening began to walk in step.
Seasons spun into motion.
Creation found its cadence.

Four. The number of structure. Of corners and directions. Of winds and elements.
Of order in a world that had only known chaos.

But what happens when the order breaks?

When the compass spins and the fire rages… when sorrow knocks the wind from your soul?

That’s when the Fourth shows up.

Not the number.
The One who gave it meaning.
The Creator steps into His own creation—not to erase what was formed, but to redeem what was lost.

Let me show you three moments when the Fourth broke through.

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The Fourth Man in the Fire: Jesus Stands with Us in the Furnace

“Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”
—Daniel 3:25

They wouldn’t bend.
They wouldn’t bow.
So they were thrown into the fire.

Three young men—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—bound hand and foot and cast into a furnace that devoured even the guards who carried them.

But when the king looked inside, he blinked in disbelief.

“I thought we threw in three?”
“Yes, O king.”
“Then why,” he asked, “do I see four?”

And the Fourth looked different.
Holy.
Divine.
“Like the Son of God.”

The fire didn’t stop Him.
The heat didn’t hold Him back.

He didn’t come to watch.
He came to walk with them.

And what the flames consumed were not their lives—but their bonds.

So if you’re in the fire today…
You don’t need answers.
You need presence.

And Jesus offers Himself.

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The Fourth Watch of the Night: Jesus Comes to Us in the Storm

“And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.”
—Matthew 14:25

It was late.
The kind of late where the sky is black and the sea groans.

The disciples were rowing hard—fighting wind and wave, muscles aching, hope slipping.

The fourth watch of the night. Between 3 and 6 a.m.
The final stretch.
The loneliest hour.

And that’s when He came.

Not from the shore.
Not in another boat.

But walking—on the very thing that threatened to drown them.

He stepped across the sea as if it were solid ground.
And then He spoke:

“Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”
—Matthew 14:27

He didn’t calm the storm first.
He calmed them.

Sometimes, Jesus doesn’t stop the storm.
Sometimes, He stills the soul within it.

If you’re rowing in the dark, don’t believe the silence means He’s absent.

He may be nearer than you think—already walking toward you.

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The Fourth Day in the Tomb: Jesus Redeems Our Sorrow

“Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.”
—John 11:39

Four days. That’s how long Lazarus had been in the tomb.
Hope had already packed up and left.

Martha said what everyone else was thinking: “By this time, he stinketh.”

And Jesus?
He waited.

Not because He was careless.
Not because He didn’t love them.
But because He knew what was coming.

He stood before the grave—not as a mourner, but as a Master.

And He cried out:

“Lazarus, come forth.”
—John 11:43

And the dead man obeyed.

Grave clothes still clung to him, but death had let go.
Hope walked out of a tomb on day four.

Even when it seems too late…
Even when the stench of loss fills the air…
Jesus speaks, and life responds.

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When the Fourth Breaks Through

This world turns on fours:
Four winds.
Four seasons.
Four corners of the earth.
Four pillars of time.

We expect structure. We expect endings.
But Jesus isn’t confined to the patterns He designed.

He walks through fire when others run.
He treads on waves no one else can stand on.
He speaks into tombs others have sealed shut.

And that means this:

If you’re in the fire—He’s already beside you.
If you’re exhausted in the storm—He’s walking toward you.
If you’re weeping outside the grave—He’s preparing to call something back to life.

The Fourth doesn’t just mark order.
It marks arrival.

It’s the moment when Jesus steps in—and everything changes.