Fully Pursued

Press the play button to watch the video above or press 'more' to read the transcript of the daily devotion below. Please read Daniel 3:13-28 (use your own Bible or use the link above to access the in-App Bible).

‘But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.’ Daniel 3:18

Have you ever been tempted to use your prayers to try to bargain with God? “Please let me find a parking space now and I’ll read an extra Bible passage later.” Or the more serious, “Please Lord, heal me of this and I’ll give more of my time to serving in church.”

In today’s passage, we hear about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – Jewish exiles and friends of Daniel taken into Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar. It would have been easy for them to decide that as captives in a foreign land, they should be obedient to the king’s commands, but instead they were prepared to suffer and die for their faith in the one true God. If there was ever a time when you might fall foul of offering God a deal, this would be it! “Lord, save us from this and we’ll spend even more time in prayer each day!” 

From reading the account, one thing is clear: the three friends were wholly confident that God could save them. They had complete faith in His power. But they also had enough trust in God to stand firm in their beliefs, saying that even if God does not save them, they were still willing to accept the king’s fatal punishment. Could you face the fiery furnace like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and accept that God might not save you, even though you know he can?

This story demonstrates a level of faith and obedience that we should all be striving for. When we are faced with a ‘fiery furnace’ moment - when things are heating up in our lives, whether that is to do with financial pressures, ill health, separation, or other things - do we approach our prayers with a ‘fully persuaded’ attitude like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? An attitude which says, “God can save this relationship… but even if he doesn’t, my faith will not falter.” There are times when God will answer our prayers and times when he won’t, but we mustn’t turn our back on God when the temperature ramps up because even when our prayers go seemingly unanswered, that doesn’t change His goodness, His power, or His love.

Let us pray: Lord God, help us to remain faithful during the fires that threaten us in life, knowing that you are with us. Amen.

Sarah Earnshaw, Diocesan Children’s Work Adviser.