Suspicion grows weighty and worry
plagues my mind for months before the diagnosis finally confirms all my silent
fears. My mom has cancer. An overwhelming sense of entitlement follows: This
isn’t what I asked for, God. No, this is the very thing I prayed against. God, you know I believe You can do anything, but
God, I prayed and nothing changed.
My faith feels dead, but I
know it isn’t. Dreams may be dying, but not my faith. Faith will move me from
this raw and honest prayer of heartbreak to an entirely new prayer, eventually.
Faith will move me to a prayer that sounds more like this: I trust
You, God, even in this. You are good even if the news isn’t. Whenever I seek
You I always find You. Thank you that nothing changes You.
Faith is the vehicle that brings
me back to gratitude, because faith isn’t based on my understanding. Faith has nothing
to do with me and everything to do with God. Faith assures me that no matter
how impossible the circumstances might seem I will find God.
I don’t need strong faith; I need faith in a strong
God.
Daniel found God in an
impossible situation. A Jewish exile who had been promoted to a very high
station in the Medo-Persian Empire, Daniel’s reputation was spotless. The other
officials became so jealous that they tried and tried to find ways to slander
him, yet they could not. So they did what our enemy loves to do to us: they
went after his relationship with God.
Appealing to King Darius’
ego, they concocted a brilliant plan to get the king to sign a new law stating
that everyone in the kingdom must pray only to him for thirty days. Those who
broke the law would be thrown into the lion’s den. The king agreed and the
document was signed, making the law irrevocable, even by the king himself. Daniel’s
enemies knew he’d never stop talking to God.
When Daniel knew
that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in
his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a
day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. Daniel 6:10
When Daniel received bad
news, he gave thanks. Daniel wasn’t thanking God for the bad news; he just knew
there were plenty of reasons to give thanks based on God’s character rather
than his circumstances. Gratitude prompted peace in his heart. Daniel knew nothing
could change how God felt about him. Nothing. Not being persecuted or slandered or
mistreated or rejected or falsely accused. Not even being trapped in a den full
of lions.
Nothing changes God’s love for us.
Then they said
to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to
you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three
times a day.” When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was
determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.
Daniel 6:13-14
King Darius was a powerful
king. He tried and tried to change Daniel’s situation, but he could not. His
rescue mission failed. He was too late. It had become an incredibly impossible
situation. The king’s plan involved keeping Daniel from the lion’s den
altogether, but God’s plan involved entering the lion’s den Himself. That’s
always been God’s plan.
Jesus willingly entered the
dark, sin-infested pit of this world to suffer and serve and confront the lion,
so that we might live with God in an ongoing relationship forever and ever. Moved
by a love that’s unchanging, God paid the price that we never could.
Nothing changes God’s plan to rescue and
redeem.
So the king gave
the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king
said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” A stone
was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with
his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s
situation might not be changed. Daniel 6:16-17
Just as the king sealed the
den so Daniel’s situation could not be changed, God has sealed us so that we
are forever marked as His. To everyone who believes in Jesus, God has promised the
gift of His Spirit as a deposit that cannot be revoked. His Spirit within us is
proof of His promise. No matter how hard life gets, no matter how far we fall,
God has promised He will never remove His Spirit.
Nothing changes the power of God’s Spirit within us.
If we quit before the story’s
over, it might go something like this: Daniel prayed and nothing changed. He had
to spend the night with hungry lions. I don’t know what den you’re facing, but Daniel’s
story isn’t over yet, and neither is yours. King Darius sprinted to the den the
next morning, unsure of what he would find. When he heard Daniel’s voice, he
had no choice but to believe in Daniel’s God as well.
Then Daniel said
to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions'
mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him;
and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” Then the king was
exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel
was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he
had trusted in his God. Daniel 6:21-23
I have a tendency to read
through this story and forget it really happened. These were real lions- real hungry lions- that had their mouths shut
by God. Scripture doesn’t say God filled their stomachs and satisfied their appetites.
It only says their mouths were shut. These weren’t sweet cats purring all night
long. They were angry and frustrated and confused. And still very, very hungry.
God didn’t remove the threat
from Daniel’s life; He rendered the threat powerless over Daniels’ life. The
lions remained a part of Daniel’s story, but the lions could never overpower God.
1 Peter 5:8 says that our “enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Though we still encounter the lion, God has rendered
him powerless over those who trust in Jesus.
Daniel’s faith in God did not
change, because he understood that nothing changes God. Not addiction, not job loss, not failure, not
slander, not divorce, not cancer, not even death can separate us from Him. We
can have faith in God through the most impossible situations, because His love
never changes, His plan cannot be revoked, and His Spirit will never depart from
those who are His.
May we embrace the promise of
a God who never changes even as we are dealt heartbreaking disappointments and harsh
setbacks. May we give thanks at all times and in all circumstances, especially
the unfavorable ones. May we cling to the God who holds in His hand the whole mess
of our lives and every broken way we take. May we rest in the companionship of
God, knowing that no matter what unfolds in the here and now His love will
usher us into eternity blameless and unscathed.
Jesus loves you,
Kelly
No comments:
Post a Comment