Read Daniel 3:16-18; Ecclesiastes 3:3; 1 Corinthians 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 2:3-4; James 4:17

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." (Daniel 3:16-18)

Our Father in heaven, as a result of Your Word we pray that You might grant to us insight into our homes, our nation, and this world. We ask You to raise up from this world that is given to passivity and compromise a body of people who will live for and, if necessary, fight for the truth. We pray that we might not embrace the false philosophies of our day, which sound so logical and appealing but in the end turn us into passive fools. We pray, our Father, that we might become balanced believers, that we might discern times in which it is necessary to be very still and quiet; times in which it is essential to say, "Lord, this is Your battle. Please, You take this for me"; and other times when the issue is such that we say, "Even if I must stand alone, I will stand. Even if it means I will be beaten to the death, I will take that, because an issue greater than all is at stake."

Thank You for the reminder of those women and men in uniform who fight courageously so that we might enjoy the quietness of this moment and the freedom of public worship. Father, steel us. Put strength and integrity where there has been weakness. Replace the flab and the fat of our day with the muscle of conviction. And, Lord, may it come to pass that You raise up from our homes a body of young people who have convictions that reach deeper than any persuasive word of the world. If You will do this, our Father, we will be eternally grateful. Through Christ we pray. Amen.

Excerpted from The Prayers of Charles R. Swindoll, Volume 1, Copyright 2010 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.