Community Devotions

Does God Rescue

SCRIPTURE

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.

OBSERVATION

 King Nebuchadnezzar issued a decree that all people would worship the status of him or be thrown into a blazing furnace. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were brought to attention b/c they didn't follow through with this standard of worshiping the statue. With that being said, they were thrown into the furnace only to be unharmed and God was glorified through this event. 

APPLICATION

My application is to have a steadfast faith and belief in the Lord that He will deliver me from any circumstance. Also to have confidence to be brave to stand for what is right no matter the consequence. My obedience to the Lord is worth more than comprising my faith and His truth.  

PRAYER 

Lord, build my faith and trust in you so that I can stand in confidence that you will navigate me through challenging times and to rest on the truth that you are always in control and will work all things out according to your will. 

God Comes First

SCRIPTURE
Genesis 22:9-10, "9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son."


OBSERVATION
I have read this passage many times and felt like I as a parent understood the agony that Abraham must have felt so bitterly because he was going to snuff out with his own hands a precious and only son that God gave him at 100 years old. Even worse,, this had to be doubly hard since Abraham literally walked in agony for three days. Then, he was forced to answer Isaac’s obvious question – where is the sacrifice? Abraham had to give him an answer that even he was unsure  – “God will provide” – but he had to have acknowledged that nothing gave him any evidence to support his answer. God was silent all the way to Mount Moriah.  It is one thing to verbally affirm my confidence in God who consistently provides goodness for my life but it is another to demonstrate my trust in his goodness and faithfulness by binding whatever is precious to me and put it on the altar, willing to let it go.

APPLICATION 
How willing am I to put my most precious things, be it my children, possessions, reputation or pride, before God and demonstrate that God comes first?   The toughest challenge is that God is often silent, until the point of death it seems, before his deliverance.  I must have the faith and trust in God in order that God will do great things through my life.

PRAYER 
Father God, I praise your holy name. Your name is great and your love endures forever. Thank you for all your blessings and promise in my life. May you strengthen my faith where I will have complete confidence regardless of what I see or my circumstances. I love you LORD.  In Jesus name I pray. Amen.