Daniel (Greek) 3:24-39: a reflection

24They walked in the midst of the fire, praising God, and blessing the Lord. 25Then Azarias stood, and prayed like this. Opening his mouth in the midst of the fire he said, 26“Blessed are you, O Lord, you God of our fathers! Your name is worthy to be praised and glorified for evermore; 27for you are righteous in all the things that you have done. Yes, all your works are true. Your ways are right, and all your judgments are truth. 28In all the things that you have brought upon us, and upon the holy city of our fathers, Jerusalem, you have executed true judgments. For according to truth and justice you have brought all these things upon us because of our sins. 29For we have sinned and committed iniquity in departing from you. 30In all things we have trespassed, and not obeyed your commandments or kept them. We haven’t done as you have commanded us, that it might go well with us. 31Therefore all that you have brought upon us, and everything that you have done to us, you have done in true judgment. 32You delivered us into the hands of lawless enemies, most hateful rebels, and to an unjust king who is the most wicked in all the world. 33And now we can’t open our mouth. Shame and reproach have come on your servants and those who worship you. 34Don’t utterly deliver us up, for your name’s sake. Don’t annul your covenant. 35Don’t cause your mercy to depart from us, for the sake of Abraham who is loved by you, and for the sake of Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one, 36to whom you promised that you would multiply their offspring as the stars of the sky, and as the sand that is on the sea shore. 37For we, O Lord, have become less than any nation, and are brought low this day in all the world because of our sins. 38There isn’t at this time prince, or prophet, or leader, or burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense, or place to offer before you, and to find mercy. 39Nevertheless in a contrite heart and a humble spirit let us be accepted,

In the midst of the fiery furnace, Azariah prays a remarkable prayer, and at its heart, when he has nothing outward left to offer God, he offers the one thing he still can: a contrite heart and a humble spirit. There is no temple now, no altar, no sacrifice, no offering, no place to bring a gift before God; all of that is gone. And yet, he prays, nevertheless in a contrite heart and a humble spirit let us be accepted. When every outward means of approaching God is stripped away, Azariah offers his broken and humble heart, and asks that this be accepted. And so it is: God receives the contrite heart and humble spirit when nothing else can be brought. What God accepts is not first the outward offering but the inward heart, contrite and humble; and this can be offered even when we have nothing else, even from the midst of the fire.

Notice what Azariah offers when he has nothing else: a contrite heart and a humble spirit. Everything outward is gone, no temple, no sacrifice, no offering to bring; and in that stripped and desperate place, Azariah offers what remains, his broken and humbled heart, asking that it be accepted. And this is precisely what God receives. The offering God most desires is not the outward sacrifice but the inward heart, contrite over its sin and humble before him. Such a heart can be offered even when every other means is gone, even from the midst of the fire, and God accepts it. When we have nothing else to bring God, no worthy offering, no outward means, we can still offer him a contrite heart and a humble spirit, and he will not despise it. The broken and humble heart is an offering God always receives, even when it is all we have. God does not turn away the contrite.

That is worth resting in, for God accepts a contrite heart and a humble spirit when we have nothing else to offer. We can feel we have nothing worthy to bring God, no offering, no goodness, nothing but our brokenness and need; but Azariah, in the fire with everything outward stripped away, offered a contrite heart and a humble spirit, and God received it. When we have nothing else, we can still offer God our broken and humble heart, and he will not despise it. The contrite heart is an offering God always accepts. When you feel you have nothing worthy to bring God, offer him a contrite heart and a humble spirit, which he receives. Offer God a contrite heart and a humble spirit even when you have nothing else to bring, trusting that he accepts it, as Azariah in the fire, with no temple or sacrifice left, prayed that in a contrite heart and a humble spirit they might be accepted; for the offering God most desires is not the outward sacrifice but the inward heart, broken over its sin and humble before him, and such a heart, offered even from the midst of the fire when all else is gone, God always receives.

Lord, in the midst of the fiery furnace, Azariah prays a remarkable prayer, and at its heart, when he has nothing outward left to offer you, he offers the one thing he still can: a contrite heart and a humble spirit. There is no temple now, no altar, no sacrifice, no offering, no place to bring a gift before you; all of that is gone. And yet, he prays, nevertheless in a contrite heart and a humble spirit let us be accepted. When every outward means of approaching you is stripped away, Azariah offers his broken and humble heart, and asks that this be accepted. And so it is: you receive the contrite heart and humble spirit when nothing else can be brought. Show me what Azariah offers when he has nothing else: a contrite heart and a humble spirit. Everything outward is gone, no temple, no sacrifice, no offering to bring; and in that stripped and desperate place, Azariah offers what remains, his broken and humbled heart. And this is precisely what you receive. The offering you most desire is not the outward sacrifice but the inward heart, contrite over its sin and humble before you. Such a heart can be offered even when every other means is gone, even from the midst of the fire. Let me rest in that, for you accept a contrite heart and a humble spirit when I have nothing else to offer. I can feel I have nothing worthy to bring you, no offering, no goodness, nothing but my brokenness and need; but Azariah, in the fire with everything outward stripped away, offered a contrite heart, and you received it. When I have nothing else, I can still offer you my broken and humble heart. When I feel I have nothing worthy to bring you, help me offer you a contrite heart and a humble spirit, Lord, trusting that you accept it, as Azariah prayed from the fire that in a contrite heart and a humble spirit they might be accepted.