Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. Daniel 3:17.
The Lord did not forget His own. As His witnesses were cast into the furnace, the Saviour revealed Himself to them in person, and together they walked in the midst of the fire. In the presence of the Lord of heat and cold, the flames lost their power to consume.
From his royal seat the king looked on, expecting to see the men who had defied him utterly destroyed. But his feelings of triumph suddenly changed. The nobles standing near saw his face grow pale as he started from the throne and looked intently into the glowing flames. In alarm the king, turning to his lords, asked, “Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? …
Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”How did that heathen king know what the Son of God was like? The Hebrew captives filling positions of trust in Babylon had in life and character represented before him the truth. When asked for a reason of their faith, they had given it without hesitation. Plainly and simply they had presented the principles of righteousness, thus teaching those around them of the God whom they worshiped. They had told of Christ, the Redeemer to come; and in the form of the fourth in the midst of the fire the king recognized the Son of God….
He who walked with the Hebrew worthies in the fiery furnace will be with His followers wherever they are. His abiding presence will comfort and sustain. In the midst of the time of trouble—trouble such as has not been since there was a nation—His chosen ones will stand unmoved. Satan with all the hosts of evil cannot destroy the weakest of God’s saints. Angels that excel in strength will protect them, and in their behalf Jehovah will reveal Himself as a “God of gods,” able to save to the uttermost those who have put their trust in Him.
Conflict and Courage p. 252
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Prayer Requests
—–asking for prayers, that Gods will to be done in the case of our son Keith.. His ex wife has taking him back to court and asking if she can move to another state 500 miles from where they live..He’s devastated and loves his children and doesn’t want to miss out in seeing them grow up close to him.The children are age 12,10,& 8yrs old. They love our family and don’t want to move either. But the judge will make the decision some time real soon. Please join with me in prayer for God to intervene in this decision. Alvina
—–update—My son’s back is not broken. Praise the Lord! My mother is trying a new treatment for the MRSA in her eyes. Please pray that it works. Pray also for my husband who used to be a Christian and who now wants nothing to do with it. Also for me as my 14 year old dog just died and I am heartbroken. Connie
—–Pray for a couple who are members of the Salvation Army in our town. The wife has a cyst that is very painful. She is scheduled to have surgery on Monday. Pray that her husband will have strength to care for her and do the extra duties he has to do. Mark
—– Please pray for my job that I will keep it until I can get another better one. Ann
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Dear Friends,
Before he moved across the country, Ronnie Jay and I spent many hours out in nature taking photos and enjoying our time together. One such time, we were going to a lake to take pictures of birds even though the temperatures were over 100 and I hate the heat. As we drove along, we came to an area where a tornado had gone through a month or two before. We could still see the wreckage of the marina and a couple of overturned boats as well as a multitude of trees twisted and snapped in two. I pulled in to an overlook so we could get out and take pictures.
When we were ready to leave and I turned the key nothing happened. The car was totally dead. I tried again. Nothing happened. My heart sank. Here we were miles from nowhere and the car wouldn’t start. Nothing worked. I couldn’t get the key out of the lock. I couldn’t even open the trunk. It was so hot, I could barely stand it. We didn’t know what to do. Thankfully, God brought a man to help us. He took us to a bait store where we could stay until a tow truck could come. The tow truck driver realized the problem was very simple. It was the battery. The battery was in the trunk which would not open and he had quite a difficult time getting to it. The negative battery cable had come off so there was no power to the car. Once he reconnected the cable, the car came to life and we were on our way!
So it is in the Christian life. Without the power from On High, we are as spiritually dead as that car was. In fact, lack of power is one of the signs of the last days. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2 Tim 3:1-5 Think of it! Having a powerless religion is listed alongside covetous, boasters, false accusers, and the like.
How much we need the Heavenly Mechanic to come and connect our spiritual “battery cables” that we may have the power to overcome the power of the evil one. Jesus says to us as He said to His disciples so long ago, “ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Eph 6:10-13
Rose