Azariah's Prayer, 18-19 (contained in Daniel 3:19-25). "And now with all our heart we follow thee, we fear thee and seek thy face. Do not put us to shame, but deal with us in thy forbearance and in thy abundant mercy."

This is part of the prayer of Azariah (aka Abednego) as he, Hananiah (aka Shadrach), and Mishael (aka Meshach) are in the fiery furnace, thrown there to die by Nebuchadnezzar because they would not worship his idols. These men are literally in the midst of the flames when Azariah prays this lengthy prayer, praising God for all he has done for them and the Jewish people and asking for His mercy once again. Later, all three men will pray a beautiful prayer calling for all of Creation to bless the Lord.

In the face of what seems like certain death, Azariah, Hananiah, and Mishael are so conformed to God's will that they accept everything, even the fiery furnace, with praise to God. In fact, when Nebuchadnezzar threatened these three with the furnace, they replied that God would be able to save them from the furnace, and if He did not, they would still not serve false gods (Daniel 3:17-18).

I can only pray to have this kind of trust and faith. I know that God will indeed deliver us from every evil if it is His will to do so, and that if it is not, there is a reason for that, too. It is easy for me to think and say these words now, but when I am thrown in the furnace, I hope I still remember and trust them. I hope I would be able to pray like Azariah, Hananiah, and Mishael.