"If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
But if not, be it known unto thee, o king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." (Daniel 3:17-18 KJV)
"But if not..." This may be the most powerful statement of faith in the Bible. It is easy to be strong in your faith when God delivers you from something, but to stand firm in your devotion when He doesn't says something. These three young men were confident in God and His ability to deliver them, but their faith wasn't going to hinge on whether He did deliver them or not. They said, "...he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods..." They were so confident in their faith that noting could shake them, not even a fiery furnace. That kind of faith brings a peace that can't be explained, it has to be experienced. This story took on a deeper meaning for me during a mission trip to Costa Rica.
We had just completed a 9 day trip to Costa Rica and were on the flight home. Somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico it felt and sounded like our plane hit something. There was a loud bang and the plane shuddered like it had hit something. The plane immediately pitched up and down and then rolled to both sides. The cabin crew began scurrying around the cabin with anxious faces looking out the windows. The pilot announced that they had felt that too and they were investigating it. They asked if anyone on the right side of the plane had seen anything odd to report it to the crew. Everyone on the plane had the same thought running through their mind, "We are going to crash!" That was the first time that the possibility of really dying stared me in the face. I will tell you that is a sobering thing. I also discovered what the three men in the furnace meant. I knew that God could deliver us from this, but even if He didn't, I knew He was still God and I was good with that. That brings a peace that can't be described.
Obviously everything worked out. We had experienced what they termed a "catastrophic failure" of one of the engines. It basically ripped itself apart. We were able to land in Ft Lauderdale and continue on to Atlanta on other flights. It was a trip I will never forget for many reason but mainly because my understanding of faith was changed. I discovered the power of real faith. I learned it is one thing to talk about faith and an entirely different thing to have to rely on it. When you come to the point where you can say, "but if not" you will discover a peace that passes all understanding.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Drops In the Desert
I know I said this last time, I am sorry for the delay between posts. My schedule is keeping me busier than I thought so I haven't had time to write for this blog much in the last month. I am not going to make any promises about when the next post will come. It is my intention to be more regular, but who knows?
I don't know if this post will mean anything to anyone but me, but it has been on my heart for a few days now and I need to get it out. Please bear with me, it is a little different that what I normally write.
Drip... drip... drip.
They all come flooding back to me at once. It is as if I am reliving every single one of them; every one of my sins, in a line that seems to stretch on forever.
Drip... drip... drip.
I can't bear up under their weight. It is more than this body can stand. I am being dragged under by the weight of them all.
Drip... drip... drip.
My guilt is more than I can bear. I try to bury my face in the dirt to escape the eyes of the world. I just want to hide, to disappear so no one can see my guilt.
Drip... drip... drip.
What was that? Something just dripped on my hand. There it is again. With great effort I force my eyes up from the dirt.
Drip... drip... drip.
It splashes on my face now. There is a figure above me, I try to focus on it. It is a man, but he hardly looks human anymore; except for his eyes. His eyes penetrate deep into my soul. I know in an instant he knows all of my deepest secrets. He knows how dirty my soul really is, my guilt doubles for I know those eyes see all of my sins.
Drip... drip... drip.
I realize it is his blood that is dripping on me. With great effort, the man behind those eyes says, "This blood is for you." The blood starts to fall more freely now. It begins to wash over my whole body and as it does, I feel the weight of my sins easing. it has completely covered me now and my burden is gone; like it was never there.
I get up and start to walk away and almost instantly I feel the weight of my sin start to settle back on my shoulders when I hear...
Drip... drip... drip.
and I am once again free of the burden.
The blood of the only truly innocent man was poured out on a dusty hill outside of Jerusalem so that all of us could be cleansed of our sins. Do you hear it dripping in the dirt? Do you feel it splashing on your hands? Will you let it wash away your sins?
I don't know if this post will mean anything to anyone but me, but it has been on my heart for a few days now and I need to get it out. Please bear with me, it is a little different that what I normally write.
Drip... drip... drip.
They all come flooding back to me at once. It is as if I am reliving every single one of them; every one of my sins, in a line that seems to stretch on forever.
Drip... drip... drip.
I can't bear up under their weight. It is more than this body can stand. I am being dragged under by the weight of them all.
Drip... drip... drip.
My guilt is more than I can bear. I try to bury my face in the dirt to escape the eyes of the world. I just want to hide, to disappear so no one can see my guilt.
Drip... drip... drip.
What was that? Something just dripped on my hand. There it is again. With great effort I force my eyes up from the dirt.
Drip... drip... drip.
It splashes on my face now. There is a figure above me, I try to focus on it. It is a man, but he hardly looks human anymore; except for his eyes. His eyes penetrate deep into my soul. I know in an instant he knows all of my deepest secrets. He knows how dirty my soul really is, my guilt doubles for I know those eyes see all of my sins.
Drip... drip... drip.
I realize it is his blood that is dripping on me. With great effort, the man behind those eyes says, "This blood is for you." The blood starts to fall more freely now. It begins to wash over my whole body and as it does, I feel the weight of my sins easing. it has completely covered me now and my burden is gone; like it was never there.
I get up and start to walk away and almost instantly I feel the weight of my sin start to settle back on my shoulders when I hear...
Drip... drip... drip.
and I am once again free of the burden.
The blood of the only truly innocent man was poured out on a dusty hill outside of Jerusalem so that all of us could be cleansed of our sins. Do you hear it dripping in the dirt? Do you feel it splashing on your hands? Will you let it wash away your sins?
Saturday, September 1, 2012
How Much Are You Worth?
Sorry for the long time between posts, I have been really busy with the start of school and volleyball. I will try to be a little more regular in my posts now that things are settling into a routine.
I have a basketball card that is supposedly worth a little over $300. I have tried on several occasions to sell it and have been unsuccessful, nobody has been willing to pay what it is "worth". You see the problem is, something's worth is determined by what the buyer is willing to pay for it. If no one will pay $300 for my card, it isn't really worth $300.
Because of my job, I spend a lot of time around teenagers. As the girl's volleyball coach, much of that time is with teenage girls. I have come to see how little a lot of girls think they are worth. (I do see this in the boys too, but not to the same extent.) It pains me whenever I hear a girl talking about how worthless she is or how ugly she is. It makes me want to ask them, "Do you know how much you are really worth? You are worth what someone is willing to pay for you and you have already been bought. You were purchased by God and He paid the ultimate price. He paid His Son's life for you." We have all been purchased by God at the ultimate price. God thought that each one of us was worth the life of His only begotten Son. That means God thinks we have great value. We need to start viewing ourselves and others as God does, as people of ultimate worth.
I have a basketball card that is supposedly worth a little over $300. I have tried on several occasions to sell it and have been unsuccessful, nobody has been willing to pay what it is "worth". You see the problem is, something's worth is determined by what the buyer is willing to pay for it. If no one will pay $300 for my card, it isn't really worth $300.
Because of my job, I spend a lot of time around teenagers. As the girl's volleyball coach, much of that time is with teenage girls. I have come to see how little a lot of girls think they are worth. (I do see this in the boys too, but not to the same extent.) It pains me whenever I hear a girl talking about how worthless she is or how ugly she is. It makes me want to ask them, "Do you know how much you are really worth? You are worth what someone is willing to pay for you and you have already been bought. You were purchased by God and He paid the ultimate price. He paid His Son's life for you." We have all been purchased by God at the ultimate price. God thought that each one of us was worth the life of His only begotten Son. That means God thinks we have great value. We need to start viewing ourselves and others as God does, as people of ultimate worth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)