Courage

One of my favorite passages from Daniel is the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace. When they refused to bow down to the golden image Nebuchadnezzar had set up, they were told they would be burned alive.

Their response? "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 your your hand, O king. But IF NOT (emphasis mine), be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."

This passage always causes me to search my heart. Even if I pray fervently and do all the "right" things but God chooses not to deliver me from whatever confronts me, will I still trust Him? Will I still acknowledge that He is in control? Or what if it is something that touches my child or grandchildren? Often it is easier to accept things that happen to me but not to someone else.

But what if it got to the point in this country that being a Christ follower means imprisonment or torture or even death? Well, death is easy...I'm ready for that and going home to Jesus is the ultimate ending to life. But what if I was treated like Joseph who was sold into slavery and wrongly imprisoned. Or David who had to run for his life from King Saul. Or Stephen who was stoned. Or Paul who was beaten. Or believers today in China or Iraq or Myanmar or a host of other countries around the world. And of course Jesus who went to the cross after He was abused to the point of death!

Do I have the courage to stand for and continue to trust Christ no matter what? I pray, Father, that it would be so!