Into the lions den and the fiery furnace

Its been a rough week. I have stuffed my schedule so full of activity that I haven’t gotten a chance to sit and recharge and spend a lot of time with God. And the devil knows that! And he has just been attacking, hitting where it hurts, bringing up old wounds.

I’ve been going to a women’s bible study and really taking time to do the workbook that accompanies it and it has been like a breath of fresh air.

In the workbook I was reading a passage in Daniel, and noticed something that I never had before.

God did not immediately save Daniel. Lately I’ve noticed that I can be self focused and demanding of God. I want God to move in the way I think He should, WHEN I think He should.

But what I noticed when reading Daniel that…

DANIEL WENT INTO THE FURNACE.
And…
DANIEL WENT INTO THE LIONS DEN.

I love the way these three guys answer the king after he threatens them with a fiery furnace.

Daniel 3:16 Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

These three guys committed to serving God even if He chose not to save them! They trusted that no matter what the outcome, God was faithful and that His will (even if it be them dying in a furnace), was the best way to go.

When God doesn’t come through for me in the way that I think He should, I sometimes feel betrayed or rejected. But I want to be like Daniel, content no matter what the outcome, knowing that God’s plan is ALWAYS the best plan.

God does choose to save Daniel and his friends, but they are still thrown into the furnace!

In this story God chooses to deliver them THROUGH the trial, not FROM the trial.

In the story of Daniel in the lions den, Daniel heard that anyone worshiping anything other than the King would be thrown into the lions den.

So Daniel promptly goes home and gave thanks to God.

Daniel didn’t go home and plead for his life, he went home and gave God thanks! So many times I find myself grumbling and complaining. But I realize even in times of hardships, there is still so much to be thankful for!

So Daniel was thrown into the lions den and stayed there all night long. And in the morning not a single scratch was found on him.

Daniel trusted that God would pull him through unscathed, but he spent all night with lions!

I don’t like trials. Not a fan. I just want God to save me BEFORE I’m thrown into the furnace or the lions den. And sometimes He does.

But other times, He knows that its wiser to let me go through the fire and to save me at the end.

The waiting period in the middle makes me cling to the hand of God and search for Him with all my might. If God had saved me right away, I would have called out a quick, ‘thank you’ and have been on my way.

Going through the furnace reminds me how desperately in need of God I am. In times of distress and hardship and pain, I find God so much closer by my side than when I feel myself competent on my own.

I know that even when I’m going through trials that God never leaves my side, not even for a single moment.

Still sometimes when things don’t go my way and trials come I quickly forget this lesson. I’m praying God will soften my heart and mold me into someone who is content to ride out the storm while holding His hand.

1 Peter 1:7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.
Thank you Jesus for the refining fire which will take this lumpy piece of coal, tossed around by a sinful world, and mold it into something beautiful that will glorify Your name.

This is a quote from a book by Joni Eareckson called, “A place of healing.” It’s a great book that I would recommend and I love this quote.

He has chosen not to heal me, but to hold me. The more intense the pain, the closer His embrace.

Song Recommendation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHGU3z10fo0