Navigating Faithfully
Daniel 3:25 (NLT)
“Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!”
Psalm 34:4, 8 (NLT)
4 I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
He freed me from all my fears.8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
Insight
I recently re-read Daniel, which is one of my favorite books in the Bible. One of the things I love about reading the Bible is that no matter how many times I read and re-read something, I always learn something new or see something in a new way. This happened with Daniel 3:25. This section tells how Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace. While they’re in the furnace, King Nebuchadnezzar exclaims, “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed!”
God could have saved his followers in any number of ways — just let yourself imagine all the different ways God could have intervened! But, God allowed them to enter into the fire and He saved them with a tangible, physical demonstration of His presence. We see a similar instance of God tangibly intervening later on in the book when Daniel spends the night in a lions’ den. Daniel shares in 6:22, “My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions.”
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego pursued God without compromise while living in exile. Their lands were conquered, they were taken from their homes and introduced into a new culture. I can’t even imagine circumstances of this magnitude! They navigated these changes faithfully by drawing closer to God and learning to dwell in His Presence.
My challenges may not be this monumental but they do seem overwhelming. Rather than being filled with fear and anxiety, I want to enter into each of those moments and discover how God is growing me through them. I want to move through these times faithfully with God. My desire is to place my hope in God, knowing that in Him I will always be satisfied, and not to settle on simply getting through the current challenges. This is not always true for how I move through hard times, but I want to grow in that direction.
I do sometimes allow my fears to define me and it is hard to hold onto hope when I’m fixating on my fears. When I realize this is happening, I prayerfully surrender my circumstances to God and He has always, every time, faithfully provided me with freedom and hope. I have experienced His goodness! He is with me and I will remain in Him. It is in His Presence that I am filled with delight regardless of my circumstances.
Reflection
What challenges do you currently face?
What direction is your heart growing? Are you growing towards trust or towards fear?
How can you surrender your challenges to God?
Prayer
Father God, thank you for always being with us. Thank you for demonstrating Your Presence in so many ways: in peace that doesn’t make sense, in loving community that helps us through hard times, and from Your Spirit dwelling in us and reminding us of Your complete goodness. Please help me to continue to seek You first and to surrender all of my fears. I love You and trust in You, Amen.
Sharon King, Creative Team Project Manager, wrote today’s devotional.