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Jonathan said to his only companion, a young armor-bearer, “Come on, let’s cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised men.

Only two swords remained among them, and Jonathan, King Saul’s son, had one when he came upon a garrison of 20 Philistines. In 1 Samuel 14, the Israelites were under oppression by the Philistines. Many of the great feats of faith in the Bible were not done in response to a direct command of God or with a promised guarantee of how it would turn out. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said, “… and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king” (Daniel 3:17), how did they know that? They didn’t. We see that in the next phrase: “But if not …” They didn’t know how it was going to turn out, but they had this suspicion in their hearts that God would deliver them because they understood his goodness and his willingness to showcase the glory of his name. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me.Ģ. When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is he. Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home, Why should I feel discouraged? Why should the shadows come? Not even a hair from your head falls apart from his knowledge. And if you are his child, nothing happens to you without his permission. He’s bigger than your sin and shame, bigger than the grave. He’s bigger than cancer or a lost job or a broken marriage. This is where courage begins: God is bigger. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s answer to King Nebuchadnezzar’s threat shows us that these three Hebrew teenage boys had no doubt who the biggest daddy in this little drama is: “… our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace …” (Daniel 3:17 ESV). In the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we see the soul of Christian courage-both its substance and the fuel that sustains it.

What we learn in Daniel 3 is that courage is an essential quality of those who would shine in Babylon. For most of us, courage is something we have to learn and develop. I’m usually the “Veronica, did you hear that noise downstairs? You should go check it out” guy. You may think of yourself as a naturally courageous person, but that’s not me. Plenty of people have great intentions, but great intentions only come to fruition through courage. Great things in the world are only accomplished through courage.