Daniel
Read Chapter 18
The Greatest Statement Ever
"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 even 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." Daniel 3:17-18
"but even if he doesn't"
As a teacher in the 70’s and 80’s an English teacher friend of mine down the hall faced the untimely death of his wife leaving him with two little children to raise alone. Our friendship grew and he accepted Christ as his Savior.
His grief was excruciating. After a year or two at a bonfire one night, John felt that he wanted to share this passage from Daniel with us. In doing so, he chose to be where he was, expect nothing more and to make Jesus not just his Savior but also his Lord. Ironically in expecting nothing more, he received more than he could have ever imagined.
Prayer
Lord, I admit it’s easier to say this having lost much instead of having gained much. Father protect me from the blinding enchantment of this material world. Yes, thank you for pain that disenchants . Amen”
If we did not have Jesus and we experienced the same painful experiences as we most probably would, what would be the difference?
ReplyDeleteSome of us may be able to accept the pain and not have any lasting effects. Some of us may be effected in ways we would not admit. Perhaps others of us would take the pain and turn it into causes that we could fight in order to make sense of the pain. But, in the end what would we have when it is said and done? If we didn't believe in eternity, we would have nothing eternal. If we believed what goes around, comes around, then we would have what we asked for.
To me, the difference is knowing that through every piece of pain and trial we go through, we have Jesus there with us. If we allow him, we will learn, be strengthened, grow and if we cooperate and enter into His presence and abide in Him during these times we will have immeasurable love. These things will not be unplanned or unpurposed but taylored to what we need for the good he has proportioned to us.
I had a customer, again, raised in the church, father a minister, man in his 50's who finally said to himself, "I need to have sincerity of belief, not tradition of belief" and he chose to explore his options. Oddly, through our conversation he voiced a sadness at leaving Christianity behind. His catalyst was the pain in the world. He couldn't reconcile it with a loving God. Where man has choice, man has pain. Its that simple. What grace it is to know that we have God who knows we have to endure, as His Son had to endure, but will be with us through it and will, at some point in either the here and now or in eternity, not only make it up to us, but lavish us with more than we could ever imagine.
I pray this man finds his way back to Jesus. It may mean he has to forget what he thought he knew prior and start all over again, but I know, for sure, Jesus will be faithful.