Tag Archives: Daniel 3

In the world, but not of it….

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Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man was standing in front him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us, or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come,,,”

(Jos 5.13&14)

Nebuchadnezzar.. said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?…. If you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter, If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

(Dan 3.14-18)

“I pray for them. I am not praying for the world. but for those you have given me, for they are yours….I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one… Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

(Jn 14.9,14&15,17)

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer..

(Rom 12.2&12)

Do I trust God when things are not working out as I want them to? Whether on a personal scale, within my wider community or globally… Is God only worthy of my praise and loyalty when his ways make sense to me? Am I getting swept along in the tides and trends of social media and culture wars, so that my beliefs and attitudes are not being shaped by the truth anymore? Do I really believe that God can keep me in peace and hope through all the turmoil which is human life, or am I putting conditions on my trust?

The story of God’s dealings with humankind as revealed in the scriptures is of mess, muddle, failure and grief – God works through these things, bringing light out of darkness and always steadily fulfilling his purposes. The coming of Jesus, the revolutionary King who defeated death and inaugurated God’s kingdom in the face of all that evil could do, has not changed the context within which the story continues.

God has never aligned his kingdom with any human institution, no matter what that power may have claimed for itself. Joshua’s encounter with the commander of the Lord’s army showed how we ought to think at all times as God’s people – “Where is God working, how may I align myself with his purposes?” Jesus prayer for his followers was that they would be guarded by the Spirit as they remained in this broken world, kept apart by that divine shield to be witnesses to the light. If we let ourselves be enticed into expecting that human institutions will bring about peace, justice, freedom (all the things God’s kingdom promises), then we are without hope, and have nothing to offer our world Both sides of every argument always need to hear that third voice – God’s summons to humanity to recognise and worship him. Jesus confronted the religious and political establishments of his day, but also challenged those who were oppressed and rebellious – the kingdom is always counter-cultural. Followers of Jesus, those who are deeply rooted in God’s word, should be able to resist the pressures of society to conform to the latest trends and opinions. Truth is our anchor, the truth of God’s nature, his saving power and his coming kingdom.

The experience of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego reminds us that resisting human power can be costly, but also shows us what our attitude should be when faced with reprisal or threats… If God chooses to deliver us, well and good. If for whatever reason he does not, then he is still our God, entirely worthy of our praise and devotion. Paul’s words to his friends in Rome speak directly into our situation in these days of challenge, upheaval and uncertainty – and it is only as those securely anchored in Christ that we can put these words into practice in our lives.

Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding me that I cannot put my hope in human institutions, but must rest solely on you. Thank you that when I do so, I am set free from worrying about what is happening in the world, and can come confidently  to you in prayer because You are able to bring light into the darkness. Thank you that your people around the world can offer your love and light; help us to stand apart from the tides of opinion and to be joyful as we hope in you. Help us to be present in your beautiful broken world, loving generously, and showing by our steadiness that we have an unshakeable foundation, our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Never abandoned or forsaken

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Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

(Ps 139.7-12)

“O 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 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.”

(Dan 3.16-18)

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. 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..”

(Isa 43.1&2)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him… Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? …in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Rom 8.25,35,37-39)

I suspect that I have written about this before, but it bears repeating…. as God’s beloved children, those redeemed by his son and alive with his divine life, we are never left alone to face anything that may happen to us… never.

The importance of grasping this was brought home to me again recently during a bible study discussion of the desolation of those who feel that God has shut them out, that there is silence and no sense of his presence with them. That experience is very real indeed, and can be utterly devastating to the confidence of a believer… not only are bad things happening, but the one source of comfort has become mute, and there is no perception of love, or even interest in their plight. What can we do?

God has asked his people throughout history to trust him in the darkness; to trust him for the improbable and the impossible; to trust him and praise him when things go wrong, and never to believe the lies which have been told from the beginning – that God doesn’t really care for our good, that his ways are not loving, and that we must look out for ourselves. God has called his people to believe that there is something worse than all the troubles which life may bring – and that is to choose to live without him, to deny ourselves the hope of glory and eternal joy, to refuse to believe that there can be a life worth dying for.

When, by faith and the blessed strengthening of the Spirit of God within us, we hold on to God’s promises in the face of severe trials, we defy the darkness and the evil; we claim God’s goodness and our inheritance as his children, and affirm that what lies ahead of us is worth infinitely more than anything we may lose here. This is what Stephen the martyr did; this is what Shadrach and his companions did, and what Paul stated as he endured so much suffering; this is the example that Jesus set for us – enduring the cross, utterly focussed on the good things which God had planned for him, trusting God utterly with everything.

All the promises, all the stories, are there to encourage us in the face of divine silence and apparent inaction. We are to learn that when we feel alone and forsaken, it is never true; when everything seems to be going wrong and we can’t see the good outcome we desire, it isn’t the end. God keeps his children safe as they cling to him in spite of silence and desolation; keeps them through devastating troubles and unspeakable pain; and through death itself he brings them into his nearer presence, prepared for glory and unimaginable fullness of life.

Friends, when the silence is deafening, and the darkness void of love’s warmth, let us take courage and stand firm: praying, lamenting, praising and living as though the promises were true, taking God at his word and knowing that we are not alone.