Hope is found in exile

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could have bowed down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s gods to avoid the furnace and save their lives. They chose to be faithful regardless of the consequences.

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

Daniel 3:28

Our lives are built around ease and comfort. We do everything we can to avoid the furnaces of life – the dangerous, difficult places.

Sometimes, the places or situations we want to avoid are  the places we meet God and find hope. God is with us in the flames!

We do not need to defend ourselves. We do not need to fight the battles. God is able to deliver us in every situation.

God did not deliver Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the furnace. He delivered them in the furnace.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 1:3 NIV

Lord, I worry needlessly in these trying times about the schemes of the wicked. You are with me. You are my living hope.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me.

Psalm 23:4

Faithful Love

Can you share a positive example of where you’ve felt loved?

Just before I read this question, I opened my Bible app and read the verse of the day.

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

Deuteronomy 7:9

A covenant of love. A promise of love that never fails, love that never gives up. That’s God’s love.

God felt distant to me for years. I wasn’t going to church or reading my Bible. Then, something awful happened in my community, the Columbine High School mass shooting. This devastating example of evil made me turn to God, the source of all that is good. I found a church and felt God’s love surrounding me. I recommitted my life to Him.

God is faithful even when we aren’t. Just as he didn’t give up on the Israelites, He didn’t give up on me. He never left my side.