This is a cross post from what I posted on our church women’s blog but I thought I’d get the extra mileage out of it. I’m in the midst of Beth Moore’s Daniel study which is awesome. These are some insights from week 2.

If you grew up in church, you are probably very familiar
with the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace. There
were tons on interesting points Beth made, but the biggest area was in relating
the story to our own personal “fiery trials”. She outlined 3 scenarios.

Scenario A: We
can be delivered from the fire. Dividend? Our faith is built. (Although
sometimes we later forget and tend to chalk the deliverance up to luck or
coincidence.)

Scenario B: We
can be delivered through the fire. Dividend? Our faith is refined.

NOTE: We will never escape trials entirely

Jn 11:4 (Lazarus
death) When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in
death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through
it."

1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you greatly
rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all
kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of
greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be
proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ
is revealed.

Scenario C: We can be delivered
by the fire into His arms. Dividend? Our faith is perfected. This should be
the scenario that we all desire. The fact that we want often want to stay here
on earth is because of our complete inability to grasp what awaits us in
heaven.

Heb 12:1-2 Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run
with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us
fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy
set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right
hand of the throne of God.

James 1:12 Blessed is
the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will
receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

We will all face trials in our lifetime, some big, some
small. When God does not choose to deliver us altogether from those trials and
we must walk through the fire, we can rest assured that God is with us. Isaiah 43:1-3

1 But now, this is what the LORD says—
       he who created you, O Jacob,
       he who formed you, O Israel:
       "Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
       I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

2 When
you pass through the waters,
       I will be with you;
       and when you pass through the rivers,
       they will not sweep over you.
       When you walk through the fire,
       you will not be burned;
       the flames will not set you ablaze.

3 For I
am the LORD, your God,
       the Holy One of

Israel, your Savior;

As we know the story well, God chose to deliver those 3 men
from the fiery furnace.

Stay Tuned for More…

 

“Why God why?” Probably a large percentage of the population has asked this question at some point in time. Maybe because of their own personal hardship, maybe over a worldwide event like 9/11 or the tsunami. Why does He let bad things happen. And especially to his children, those that have a personal relationship with him. Doesn’t that guarantee us some sort of protection?

Fortunately my “life pain” is pretty non-existent. Except for the “normal” rough patches in my marriage and battling depression, my life has been pretty easy. No serious illness, I haven’t lost any friends or relatives unexpectedly. No bad car accidents. I mean I haven’t even broken a bone.

But I’ve seen the pain in others…battling addiction…extra-marital affairs…infertility…bankruptcy…cancer.

This weekend my friend Stacey and I went to a Natalie Grant concert. There is one song (nominated for a GMA) called “Held” that is so beautiful and I have thought of so many times as I’ve watched others pain. It doesn’t claim any easy answers it just states the truth – that through it all God is there, holding us.

At the concert she shared the background behind the song that was written by Christa Wells. Christa had a friend who struggled with infertility for 9 years – many miscarriages before God blessed them with a little boy, despite being told she would never give birth. They proclaimed the little boy their miracle child from God and knew he would do great things. One morning, when he was just 8 months old, they went to his crib and found him dead. Christa wondered why God would give them a child just to take it away.

During that same time period another friend of Christa’s had her husband diagnosed, during a routine physical, with advanced cancer. He died within 2 months (within days of the other friend’s baby), leaving behind his wife and 3 small children.

As Natalie sang the song I did my best to hold back the tears. It wasn’t easy. I looked around, there were several people, eyes shut, tears streaming down their face – people you knew had experienced a “why” moment.

Maybe you’re having a “why” moment…maybe this will encourage you.

HELD
Two months is too little
They let him go
They had no sudden healing
To think that providence
Would take a child from his mother
While she prays, is appalling

Who told us we’d be rescued
What has changed and
Why should we be saved from nightmares
Were asking why this happens to us
Who have died to live, it’s unfair
This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive

This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was that when everything fell
We’d be held

This hand is bitterness
We want to taste it and
Let the hatred numb our sorrows
The wise hand opens slowly
To lilies of the valley and tomorrow

This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was that when everything fell
We’d be held

If hope if born of suffering
If this is only the beginning
Can we not wait, for one hour
Watching for our savior

This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was that when everything fell
We’d be held

I Peter 5:10-11
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever.

Just got back from church tonight. We’re doing a really cool series called “iGod”. (See more) Tonight’s message was “i am not, but i know I AM’ – talking about how basically we are nothing but God is everything. In the message Greg used the passage of Moses and the burning bush…

Exodus 3:3-4
Suddenly, the angel of the LORD appeared to him as a blazing fire in a bush. Moses was amazed because the bush was engulfed in flames, but it didn’t burn up. “Amazing!” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go over to see this.”When the LORD saw that he had caught Moses’ attention, God called to him from the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

“Here I am!” Moses replied.

So a burning bush caught Moses’ attention, but what would it take God, today, to catch my attention? I’m so busy rushing about my life, dropping off kids, cleaning house, working, serving. Do I ever really slow down long enough to let God get my attention? I’d hate to think that he’d have to do something severe in my life to get me to stop and listen to him.

So I’m slowing down and listening.