Earlier this month, I was on a retreat with 60 of our youth and leaders for an amazing weekend away at Stony Glen Camp. The weather was about perfect, the activities were fun and exciting, and the worship was powerful and engaging. It was a great weekend. I want you to know, we have a fantastic group students and youth leaders!

    

As I’ve had time to reflect on the weekend, I can’t help but remember the main takeaway from our chapel times: God is in Control – Always! We spent the weekend studying the book and life of Daniel and his three friends. Through it all, God’s sovereignty was apparent. Consider. . .

    

In chapter 1, Daniel and his three friends were ripped from their home and country, taken as prisoners of war to Babylon, and forced to serve in the king’s court. Rather than giving into significant temptation to conform, they stood by their moral and theological standards, remaining faithful to God. Rather than receiving a punishment, they were rewarded, and God promoted them to increasing positions of leadership and influence.

    

In chapter 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had a choice to make. In the face of significant peer pressure, they had to choose to bow or burn. Trusting God’s sovereignty, they were able to declare boldly, “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17, 18) While God didn’t deliver them FROM the fiery furnace, He did deliver them, totally unharmed, OUT OF the fiery furnace.

    

In chapter 6, Daniel endures intense persecution from some leaders who were jealous of him. They’re unable to find any fault in his public life or his service to the king. So they devised a plan and tricked the king into decreeing that no one could pray to anyone but himself. The consequence – execution by lions. I love Daniel’s response to being told he couldn’t pray… he went and prayed about it. Daniel’s trust in God’s sovereignty takes him THROUGH a night in the lion’s den, miraculously unharmed.

    

• God is in control, even when we’re going through difficult times. His sovereign plan may include fiery furnaces and ferocious lions.
• Trusting God’s sovereignty is always best. He knows what He’s trying to accomplish, even when I don’t understand.
• I need to trust that He’s always in control.

I don’t know what difficulty you’re currently going through. I don’t know the temptation to give in or the peer pressure to bow down. But I do know the God who can bring you through the blast furnace unscathed. We know the God who can tame the lions. He’s in control. Let’s choose to trust Him today.