Daniel 3
By now, you are probably getting very comfortable with the format of Bible Study that we are using - Preview, Read, Apply. I hope that you're finding this to be a valuable method of study, but if you aren't tweak it to make it work for you. We are all created uniquely, and thus our study methods should be unique, too. I'm praying for God to entrust you with much of himself as you study Daniel 3.
Day 1
- Pray - Praise God for His Word and the power it can have in your life.
- Preview Daniel 3. - Read the whole thing without stopping. Today, I'm reading in my favorite translation, New Living Translation. Use your favorite Bible for today's study. Remember, try to read aloud so that you can "teach" it to yourself.
- Go back and read Daniel 3:1-6. - What is your response to these verses? Are you bothered, distraught, or offended by Nebuchadnezzar's decree? What do you think he was trying to accomplish with his threat?
- Apply - How do you think you would've responded to Nebuchadnezzar's decree? Can you think of any instance in your life, in which you've been in a similar situation?
- Comment - Leave a comment to let us know your thoughts.
- Pray - Ask God to illuminate His Word, so that you might understand His truth and apply it to your life.
- Preview Daniel 3. Today, choose a different translation to read through all of Daniel 3. Remember, www.biblegateway.org or http://www.bible.com/ are great resources for digging into different translations.
- Read Daniel 3:7-12 - As you read, consider why so many, in spite of their races or beliefs, bowed down to the statue? Do you think Christians are guilty of bowing down to idols, in spite of our Christianity? Why do you think the people told on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? What were they trying to accomplish?
- Apply - What is God prompting you to do, based on the story told in these verses? Did you feel convicted, inspired, encouraged, etc?
- Comment - Share your thoughts with us!
- Pray - Submit your time to the Lord, asking Him to reveal himself to you.
- Preview Daniel 3 - Try The Message translation today.
- Read Daniel 3:13-18 - What feelings do you think Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thinking? Would you have done what they did? What words in their reply to Nebuchadnezzar intrigue you the most?
- Apply - How will your life change because of today's reading?
- Comment
- Pray - Praise God for the example of faith that is illustrated through Daniel 3. Ask Him to equip you with the same unyielding faith in His goodness.
- Preview Daniel 3 - Try the Amplified Version today.
- Read Daniel 3:19-27 - Really allow the magnificence of God's power to rush over you as you read this incredible account.
- Apply - Think about the obstacles in your own life. Have you given them to God with the same faith and trust that these men exhibited? Is God calling you to surrender your burdens today?
- Comment - If you feel comfortable, I'd love to know how God is prompting your heart through this story of faith.
- Pray - Ask God to change you through your time with Him.
- Preview Daniel 3 - By now, you've conquered this chapter. You should feel deep ownership over this story, so that you can remember it and take comfort from it.
- Read Daniel 3:28-30 - What happened as a result of the faithfulness of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Do you understand the eternal difference that your faith can make in the lives of others?
- Apply - Consider how you can step in faith, in order to testify to God's power in your life?
- Comment - What was the most impactful thing that God did in your heart/life this week through your study of Daniel 3?
