Fearlessly forward – Day 11

[Background: I once received this email from a reader: “My heart feels dead. No emotion; just a heartbeat. Please help.”]

Is that how you feel today? Have you tried moving forward, but keep on bumping against an invisible wall? Or maybe you tried going back to rectify past decisions, but again you are blocked by an invisible wall? And to make things worse, it feels as if you are standing in a muddy pit with walls closing in on you from all sides, pressing out the joy and life from you?

This is how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego must have felt when they stood before the fiery furnace. They refused to bow down before idols, taking a stand for God, but now they were facing death. Or how Abraham and Sarah must have felt. They had a promise from God for a baby, but they were already past childbearing age.

What is your crisis today? An unbelieving spouse? A financial crisis that is getting worse? A disease? A crisis at work? Or perhaps you have lost a loved one and struggle to move forward? In Psalm 40:2-4 the psalmist reminds us that God can pull us out of any dark pit: “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.” And in Jeremiah 32:27 God Himself says: “I am the Lord, the God of all people. Is anything too hard for me?”

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not know whether they would survive the fire. When King Nebuchadnezzar confronted them because they did not bow to his image, they still replied: “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. 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” (Daniel 3:17-18). Because the three men did not lose their faith in God, they survived the fire without one hair being scorched. And since Abraham and Sarah never turned their backs on God and His promise for a child, Sarah fell pregnant against all odds and reason.

What is the miracle you are praying for today? Will you walk away from fear and doubt, trusting that God can pull you from a slimy pit to put your feet on a rock? He not only does that; He also puts a new song in our hearts with hope for a better future. God bless.