Unwavering Faith

~~~ Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95 ~~~
~~~ (Psalm) Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56 ~~~

~~~ John 8:31-42 ~~~

Glory and praise for ever!

Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego were condemned
 to be burned alive in the fiery furnace for refusing
 to worship the bronze idol.

They willing accepted their sentence
believing that God could save them if he so desired.

They silently prayed as they were being bound
 and carried to the raging fire.

Imagine their surprise and awe when there appears an angel
 from God protecting them from the painful
consuming flames.

Abednego finds it fitting to begin his prayer of praise for God.
Excerpts from his prayer are used in place of one of the psalms.

This is a great prayer of praise
in the midst of not just a storm but a fire storm.

No matter how bad things get
can you still find some way to praise God?

These three men had strong faith but when they encountered
the angel of the Lord their faith itself was ignited
beyond understanding.

What would it take to truly ignite your faith?

Would your faith increase if you were caught
 in a personal storm fire?

These three brave men have so much to teach us about faith.

They exemplify unwavering faith.
They were willing to endure excruciating pain
rather than worship a false idol.

They refused to deny the one true God.

I wonder how they prepared themselves
to take such a stand.
It is obvious that they did not discover their faith
when they refused to worship the false god.

After the fire, how were these three men different.
God delivered them from certain death.
They did not become important preachers or teachers.

Would your faith override every other action and desire?
Would you be willing to give up your life for God?

Many today are still being killed for their faith.

This is the time to question your own faith.
What do you believe?
What would never be a deal changer?
Would you compromise your faith?

Praise God with the words used for today's psalm...

R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim;
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever.”

Blessed to praise him in good times
and in bad times.

~~~Peace~~~

What Does It Take?

~~~ Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95 ~~~ (Psalm)Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56~~~

~~~ John 8:31-42 ~~~

The Jews were arguing with Jesus with a closed mind.

They were not listening to his words.

They were just repeating what they believed.

There was not reasoning with them.

There was no changing their minds.

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, 

you would love me,
for I came from God and am here;
I did not come on my own, but he sent me.”

Sometimes no matter what you say 

or how much proof you claim to have

you still will not be believed.

Sadly this is what happens in this dialogue...

The Jews are confronted with the primary source 

and still they refuse to be convinced.

Is this an example of what it means to have a hard heart?

They wanted to hold on to their beliefs no matter what.

They were being presented with the winning lottery numbers,

to put it into today's context, and they refused them.

It is possible to be just as convinced by misinformation as it is 

by the factual information?

It takes wisdom and discernment to tell the difference.

The Jews were skeptical and it cost them dearly. 

...who is the God who can deliver you out of my hands?

By contrast in the book of Daniel we find three young men 

who are thrown into a blazing fire for their strong beliefs.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego 

believed in the one true God to the point

 of choosing death over worshiping the false idol. 

These three had trust beyond comprehension...

they had no doubt that God would intervene...that he would save them.

As we know from today's reading form the book of Daniel,

God saves them in a most spectacular way.

He surrounds them with his protection from the consuming flames.

God not only saves them he sends down an angel to be with them.

God envelopes them with his protection.

God wants to extend this same level of protection to us.

Is your faith like that of the Jews arguing with Jesus?

Is your faith like that of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?

For myself, I am probably somewhere in between.

How many times, Lord, do I argue 

with truth and goodness when it is in my face?

Would I crumble if faced with the flames of the fiery furnace?

God is all powerful, yet he still allows

 us to exercise our free will.

He does not force the Jews to believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

He did not force the three men to choose flames 

over worshiping the golden idol.

I am reminded of a song we sing in Taize....

Bless the Lord my soul and bless God's holy name...

We give you praise and glory

forever.

The Lord has blessed us...

He has done great things for us...

Blessed is his name.

Peace.

Is Prayer Your ICE?

~~~ Daniel 3: 14-20, 91-92, 95 ~~~ John 8: 31-42 ~~~

How strong is your faith in God? Do you have blind trust in the Lord? What would you do faced with the possibility of death for your faith?

These are tough questions. I am treading on shaky ground here, at least where I am concerned. I do not really know if I would be able to be a martyr. I would like to say with a firm answer, 'yes', but I cannot.

In the reading from Daniel today we have the incredible story of three brave men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who refuse to worship the golden statue. They are tossed into the fiery furnace. Because of their strong faith in God, he sent an angel to save them.

When we are faced with the consuming flames of out of control life events if we have a strong faith, God will send us his angel. It is worth noting that God did not remove the three from the flames nor did he extinguish the furnace. When we take our problems to prayer don't expect God to make them disappear. Calling to God for help may mean he gives us the strength to endure our trails.

The three men did not get this faith as they were being thrown into the furnace. They already had this strong faith. It was their faith that allowed them to deny the King's request. They had acknowledged their decision to worship the true God no matter what.

We cannot wait until we are in the midst of a crisis to exercise our faith.

You cannot wait until a fire is raging in your house to plan an escape route. Every month while I was teaching we had a timed fire drill. Sometimes your normal exit path was 'blocked' and you had to quickly go to the next closest exit. This was to be done quickly and quietly. But more importantly this exit drill was to be carried out without panic.

When you prepare ahead of time you are able to take action. Valuable time is not wasted by having to decide what to do or where to go. Being prepared is a safety procedure that saves lives.

I saw a sign once that said, Is prayer your ICE?

ICE: in case of emergency. If we only pray when there is an 'emergency' we will not be creating the habit of praying. If prayer is not a part of your regular routine, then it is risky to believe that in a crisis you will turn to prayer.

The three men in the furnace were prepared for this very crisis. They were willing to sacrifice their bodies. Here comes the obvious; Jesus sacrificed his life for each one of us. He prayed to the Father and had complete trust in the Father.

How frustrating at times it must have been for Jesus to experience the disbelief of so many. May God grant us strength of faith in times of calm and in times of turmoil.

It is through our prayer life that we are led to a place of trust in God.A belief that he will take care of us even in the midst of consuming flames.

As we approach Holy Week seek the Lord with your whole heart and soul. He alone is the giver of all life. In him we live and breathe and have a being.

Increase my faith O Lord, decrease my disbelief!