As I study the book of Daniel I think about how Daniel, Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach) and Azariah (Abednego) were captured and taken into service by the king of Babylon. They were most likely castrated, as that was the custom of those who were taken to serve the king. Historian Josephus asserted that they were indeed eunuchs. I think about how much these young Hebrew men lost/suffered and they still remained devoted to God. They refused to defile themselves with the king's indulgent food and wine. Think about yourself and the Christian men you know. How devoted would they be if they'd been castrated? That would be a deal breaker for many. These young men were handsome and intelligent (Daniel 1:4); and they probably could have had their choice of women had they not been captured. All hopes of a wife, children and a family were gone.

Most of us would be quite angry and quick to abandon the God that hadn't saved us from such a fate. Most of us would say "Well the least I can do is indulge myself with this rich food and wine." Many would try to drown their sorrows with the wine offered. Not these young men from the tribe of Judah - the praise tribe. They served God to the best of their ability, regardless of what the enemy brought their way. How is it that nothing turned them away from God? Not captivity, not castration, not a fiery furnace, not a den full of hungry man-eating lions... It's because their souls had been captured by God before their bodies were captured by the enemy.

God's Beloved it's time for us to grow up. It's time to stop getting angry when troubles come; God warned us they would (John 16:33). Those young men were gifted and favored, yet they faced many hardships, and God brought them through them all in miraculous ways. I pray that you will be captured by the LORD; that He will have your heart, mind and soul, so that no matter what prison you find yourself in, you are still HIS. Whether you're in a natural prison, or captured in a prison of sickness, disability, a job you don't like, a run-down apartment, poverty, etc. I pray you will remain captured by the One who loves you. And even if you've strayed, even if you defiled yourself with the king of this world's  royal food and wine - know that it's not too late for you. The blood of Jesus will wash you clean. God will always take you back. You can still be HIS. May you be captured, and may the joy of the Lord be your strength.