A Prayer for a Courageous Soul
By Chelsey DeMatteis
“Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.” - Daniel 3:28
I still have tears welling up in my eyes as I go back to the moment I saved the winning goal at a soccer tournament in my childhood. I can still see the sun shining and sense the feeling of my heart pounding in my chest. Just as quickly as the girl kicked the ball, my feet left the ground as I blocked the ball. My mom ran out on the field as the whistle blew and lifted me up, swinging me around in a circle. My teammates cheered, and our families celebrated, but what stood out most to me from that moment was the heart change that followed the courage it took to believe that I was good enough to help my team win.
Often, this is exactly what it means to be courageous in Christ. Trusting and believing that we can be used by God right where He has us. It can look like stepping up to the plate, making the phone call, putting on the event, or just showing up consistently for the people around you. This reminds me of the courage we read about in the lives of Daniel, Shadrach Meshach, and Abednego. These four men chose to be courageous for the Lord in the midst of trials that looked like defeat would be the only outcome. However, they knew if defeat came in the flesh, victory would still be theirs in the eternal.
Daniel 3:26-28 tells us, then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.
Isn’t it beautiful to see what happens when we have an eternal perspective and not a worldly perspective? When we typically hear about courage, it gets separated from the supernatural, but real acts of courage are anything but natural. What we see unfold in the lives of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace was not normal; it was a miracle. Apart from God's work within them and His protection surrounding them, they would've been burnt to the ground. We can learn from this one story alone that when we are rooted in the eternal, courage for Christ and in Christ is always doable. It’s just choosing another act of obedience and submission to the One who is holding all things together.
My prayer is that as you hear my story, and you reflect on the story we read in the book of Daniel, it will cause you to see the courage of Christ in your story. How have you seen courage unfold in your life? Where have been the places that God has asked you to be most courageous and bold for Him and His kingdom? How can you be more courageous? In what ways do you sense God calling you to do something for Him? Maybe you just need the courage to ask these questions, and I pray this has helped you do so. We have been given a remarkable gift through God and His redemption story. Not only have we received eternal life with our Creator, but we have received courage in Christ that will change the trajectory of our lives and the lives of those around us forever.
Let’s pray:
Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of an eternal perspective. Help me to continue to live with my heart set on being courageous for you. Lead me where you want me to go and prompt me to be bold in ways that display your riches and glory. Help me cause others to desire to live courageously for you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Orla
Chelsey is the voice behind the Living with Less Podcast and author of the 52-week devotional More of Him, Less of Me: Living a Christ-centered Life in a Me-centered World. She writes devotions for Lifeway Women's Journey Magazine, Crosswalk.com, and iBelieve.com. She also writes Bible reading plans for the YouVersion Bible App. Chelsey lives in Ohio with her husband and two children. You can connect with her on Instagram @chelseydematteis and at her website ChelseyDeMatteis.com.
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