Prayer and the furnace

Prayer has been very hard for me.  I feel like I always am asking for more, more, more....instead of saying thanks.  Over the past few weeks and even months, I have been trying to change my way of praying.  I am finding myself talking to God throughout the day, in both the good times and bad.  My devotion today talks about prayer.  Prayer is my time with God.  It brings me close to him and builds a foundation to stand on when times become very rough.  Colossians 4:2 says, "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful."  Where is asking in there?  It's not that I don't think that we should not ask God for things, but it states to be watchful and thankful.  When I communicate with God and I am thankful in my prayers, I have the trust in my Father that he will provide in my times of need.  It can be easy to forget sometimes that God already knows all of our needs.

This brings me to the story of the fiery furnace.  We all know about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and how they would not bow down to the gold idol of Nebuchadnezzar.  When they would not bow down, they were thrown into the fiery furnace and were saved from burning by God.  I feel like I have read this story a thousand times.  However, when I stumbled across it again a few days ago, I felt God showing me a completely different point. Daniel 3:17 says, "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O King.  But if he does not, we want you to know, O King, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."  I feel like these men had complete trust in God.  I have always thought about them having complete faith that God would save them from the furnace.  It was the last time that I was reading this that I saw the phrase, "But if he does not..."  Is this a lack of faith or trust in God?  I don't think it is.  These men had a intimate relationship with God, where they knew that God was the ultimate provider.  God is fully capable of delivering me from my "fiery furnaces" of life.  But what if he doesn't?  I know that if God does not lead me through the furnaces in my life like I expect him to, he still has a plan and will take care of me.  God's plan for me and my life extends beyond what I am capable of seeing.  It is in the time of the fiery furnace that I tell God that he is capable of delivering me from the fire, but if he does not, my trust is still in him.  This trust can only be achieved by communicating with God daily and thanking him for what he has provided. Father, please help me to pray with a heart of thanksgiving.  I know that you have always provided and always will.  My trust is in you and I yearn to hear your voice-Amen.