Waiting with Lions
"Five minutes away."
One advantage in using the "Grab" mobile application to get a ride?is that it tells you how long you have to wait before your vehicle arrives.
It makes the waiting bearable, when you know there's an end to it. "Three minutes away." "Ten minutes to go."
Are you a good "wait-er"? Not the kind that serves you at a restaurant, but the attitude of someone who waits.
I realize that sometimes I am not. Even at the immigration line at the airport, Joey and I have a "contest" to see who got on the shortest line.
Sometimes, I also get spiritually impatient.
"God, why is it taking so long?"
"Why isn't this problem over yet?"
"Why don't you answer our prayers?"
"How many times do we have to go through this trial??"
I wish God had a Grab app himself.
For example, you could type in:?"God, please send money for tuition."
Then God could answer: "Guaranteed, 3-day delivery."
Then it's easy to be spiritual, and wait for three days.
Or He could even have that "Grab Express" function for emergency situations:?"God! Help! My child is sick again!! Send help now!!"
Then God could answer: "Two minutes away from healing."
It's easy to be at peace when you know that answers to your prayers are coming. The hard part is w-a-i-t-i-n-g... and waiting with no end in sight.
That's why Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego will always be on my personal list of Bible heroes. Not only did they have to w-a-i-t, they had to wait with lions and fire.
Daniel 3 says:
19Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and his disposition changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times hotter than it was normally heated.20He ordered strong soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire.22But since the kings command was so urgent, and the furnace was so excessively hot, the men who escorted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were killed by the leaping flames.23But those three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell into the furnace of blazing fire while still securely bound.
How does a follower of God end up in flames??
Daniel 6
16So the king gave the order, and Daniel was brought and thrown into a den of lions. The king consoled Daniel by saying, "Your God whom you continually serve will rescue you!"17Then a stone was brought and placed over the opening to the den. The king sealed it with his signet ring and with those of his nobles so that nothing could be changed with regard to Daniel.
How does a follower of God end up surrounded by lions overnight?
If you find yourself in a challenging situation, ask yourself: Is there any sin on my end? If so, admit it, repent of it and receive God's grace.
But sometimes, we could be facing a trial with no sin in our hearts, nor wrongdoing in our hands.
*Sometimes challenges come because you did what was right, not what was wrong.
As I was writing this blog, I felt that some of you readers needed to hear that. Just like Daniel and the 3 other guys, you may have found yourself "in trouble" not because you did something wrong, but because you made a stand for God and chose to do what was pleasing to Him, regardless of the personal consequences. But remember this---
*You are not alone.?God is with you as you experience the fire and the presence of lions.
A sleepover with lions sounds like a death sentence. A bonfire, with you as the firewood, sounds unbearable. There was no reassurance of God saving them. There was no escaping the trial. In fact, God allowed the trial, unfair as it sounds. But remember, you are not alone. Someone powerful is with you in your greatest fire, and as you face your greatest threat.
Listen to the king's words to Daniel:
The king consoled Daniel by saying, "Your God whom you continually serve will rescue you!"
Listen to the king's words to the 3 friends:
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was startled and quickly got up. He said to his ministers, "Wasn't it three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied to the king, "For sure, O king." 25 He answered, "But I see four men, untied and walking around in the midst of the fire! No harm has come to them! And the appearance of the fourth is like that of a god!"
*Wait for the Lord to act.?Let your deliverance show the greatness of your God.
We all want to do great things for God. Many times, the greatest thing we can do is to wait in faith.
Not struggle in desperation, not wrestle with fear or worry, not fight back and blame other people. Sometimes, the greatest act of faith we can do is WAIT.
But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.
Micah 7:7
Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
Isaiah 30:18
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
Psalms 27:13-14
Daniel received full vindication, and was rewarded for his faith.?Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego were rewarded for their enduring faith as well.
So dear reader, I pray God will give you and me that same enduring faith. That God will not allow any of us to be harmed by our trials, but instead turn our challenges into a celebration of His goodness.
"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! 2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. 3"For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior."
Isaiah 43: 1-3
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