Daniel 3:16-18
I simply opened my Bible this morning to read....I do that often....nearly 100% of the time God is faithful in showing me something I need to see....no exception this morning.
Yesterday, again, I scurried against time to send documentation for my mom's Medicaid Waiver. It's been a long few months...two denials thus far....I can't help but wonder why.....she has.....nothing ...not sure how many more ways I can prove it.
A friend quoted, to calm my anxiousness, Ephesians 6:13, "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to STAND."
That verse came right to mind as I scrambled to gather the needed documents. But then this morning....I am always blown away by Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego's ability to stand firm..... EVEN IF they are thrown into the fiery furnace...which of course, we know they were.
In some weird way I feel like I have been in the fiery furnace for months now. The testing of my faith has been brutal...at least to me. King Nebuchadnezzar used fear as a tactic for obedience.....the government, I feel, does the same thing.
Nebuchadnezzar ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual.....with each denial...I feel the same. Time is not on my side.....
So, in such confusing and anxious times, what do I know for certain? I know that I am not alone.
"Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”Daniel 3:24-25
Unbound and unharmed.....how beautiful is the picture of those who are not alone in the fire? How do I stand? I'm not alone in the fire!!
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.Daniel 3:28
Such an amazing story of faith and trust. One I needed to read this morning.
God never leaves us in the fiery furnace alone.....EVER......
Sometimes he rescues us altogether..sometimes he's in it with us...but he's NEVER absent. Such a good reminder why we, as Christ followers, can stand in really difficult circumstances.
"So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them."Daniel 3:26-27
I, too, will come out of the fire, neither harmed, singed or scorched.
I should not be surprised but instead encouraged.....
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you."1 Peter 4:12
I love the Word of God! There is absolutely nothing that happens in my life for which there is no answer.
"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."Jeremiah 29:13
Reminds me of this beautiful song. Transformation is painful...but I can have rest even in the midst.
🎶🎶 In every high, in every low
On mountain tops, down broken roads
You're still my rock, my hope remains
I'll rest in the arms of Jesus
Come what may 🎶🎶
Rest in his arms...
Be blessed today.
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