A wonderful story of faith is found in Daniel 3 that reminds us to stay true to the one true God.  We should not give in to the gods of the world but keep our eyes on the one that has the power over the world.

Nebuchadnezzar answered and 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? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But 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.”

Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!”

Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.

Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.

Daniel 3:14-28

Something hit me this Easter as I was reading the accounts of Jesus’ resurrection and how he appeared to the disciples and others afterwards.  Jesus went back and let Thomas see his hands and side to feel the mark of the nails.  I can imagine others were trying to convince him based on what they saw.  Some may have even ridiculed him for not “believing” based on their story. Thomas became known through history as “doubting Thomas.”  But Jesus took the time to go back and let Thomas see for himself that He was indeed alive – risen from the grave.

This shows us how much Jesus cares for each one of us.  He meets us where we are and shows us His way.  He helps our unbelief when we are faced with questions about His will. He brings us the peace we need in the moment. Reach out today and “touch” Jesus, see his hands and side, and feel the power of the resurrection in your life.

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20:24-29 ESV

Situations in life often cause us to doubt our way out or around the difficulties.  But these times are never too hard for God.  When we look at the story of the Israelites escaping the Egyptian army, we see an example of God taking care of his people and providing a way.  One verse stood out to me in this narrative.  Exodus 14:14 (NLT) says “The Lord himself will fight for you.  Just stay calm.”  The ESV translates it as “you have only to be silent”.  The Message says “And you?  You keep your mouths shut!”  In other words, we just need to be quiet and let God work.

That is easy, right?  We can sit back and be quiet.  Probably not…instead we are just like the Israelites. We start whining.  How did you let me get in this situation?  I do not deserve this.  I would have been better off not even trying.  It would have been easier to stay where we were.  Didn’t you know that Pharaoh would just come chasing after us?    

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid.  Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today.  The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you.  Just stay calm.”  Exodus 14:13-14 (NLT)

God used this miraculous rescue to show Israel (and us) His glory.  The chapter concludes with “When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him.  They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses.”

And how did God rescue the Israelites?  He let them walk through the Red Sea on dry land.  He could have let them wade and swim through the muddy water.  He could have provided them some wood to build boats to carry just them over.  But instead, he gave them dry ground to walk through with all their belongings protected.

And can you imagine Moses telling them to start walking on this pathway that had walls of water on each side of them?  They had to have faith that God was going to hold the water back until they got to the other side.

Likewise today, God provides for us.  We must have faith in his miraculous power and know that he will take care of us.  It may not always look like we imagine or be the way we would have planned it, but everything is under his control.  Trust and obey.

We can always count on God…can he count on us?  Psalms 19 gives us some key words to remember about God’s instructions – perfect, trustworthy, right, clear, pure, and true.  His commands are “more desirable than gold” and “a great reward for those who obey them”.  As we look forward with anticipation to Christmas, let us not forget what God ask us to do. Let us be the example that Jesus wants us to be and share the good news of Jesus birth with all those around us. 

7 The instructions of the Lord are perfect,

reviving the soul.

The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

8 The commandments of the Lord are right,

bringing joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are clear,

giving insight for living.

9 Reverence for the Lord is pure,

lasting forever.

The laws of the Lord are true;

each one is fair.

10 They are more desirable than gold,

even the finest gold.

They are sweeter than honey,

even honey dripping from the comb.

11 They are a warning to your servant,

a great reward for those who obey them.

Psalm 19:7-11 (NLT)

We all need rest, especially in the craziness of 2020.  Working from home, you would think that we would get more rest.  That does not seem to be the case for so many.  Instead we seem to have worries, stress, regrets, and more worries, stress, and regrets.  As seniors in high school and college had their last year cut short and athletes missed their final season, we had regrets.  As the virus spread around us, we had worries.  As jobs that once were secure were loss, we had stress.  And the cycle continues as businesses close, virtual learning becomes the new norm, and the old norm seems unlikely to return.

Yes, we need rest….

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me; all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” What does this rest look like?

The 23^rd Psalm provides a visual for us.  It starts by saying “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” God is with watching over us, providing for us.

Then the next verse says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” Think about this…

It does not say fall or collapse in exhaustion.  It does not say pause for a moment.  It says, “He makes me lie down”.  That sounds so peaceful.  Just lay down, softly and completely. Lay down and rest.

And where is it?  It is in green pastures. I imagine this being nice, lush, green grass that is cool to the touch.  Laying there, looking up at the sky and resting.

In a recent interview with Max Lucado, Jon Gordon mentioned that Lucado’s book “Traveling Light” was one of his favorite books, so I thought it would be good to read.  It is a great book based on the 23^rd Psalm.  In it, Lucado mentions that “sheep can’t sleep”. Everything must be perfect for them to sleep and unfortunately, they cannot find the perfect pasture without help. Lucado also states that green pastures are not native to Judea.  Any green pasture there was the work of the shepherd.  It is great that the Psalmist used this analogy to describe where we find rest – in a peaceful place that is prepared by the shepherd for his flock.¹

Then the psalmist says “He leads me besides still waters.  He restores my soul.”  As we get up from the rest, we find we are right beside a calm stream.  It is here in the quietness that God restores our soul and brings true rest to our body and minds.  It is then that God can speak comfort and peace into us.

Amidst all the chaos that is happening around us, we can find rest.  We need to find rest.  We can lay down and give our worries, stress, and regrets to God, our great Shepherd.  He will restore our soul and bring us a peaceful rest that nothing else can provide. 

¹Lucado, Max. Traveling Light. Thomas Nielson, Inc. 2001

One of my favorite verses is found in Jeremiah 29:11:

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (ESV)

But let us continue to read the next two verses (v.v. 12-13):

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me where you seek me with all of your heart. (ESV)

When we look at these verses, first it says God knows the plan he has for us and it is to give us a future and a hope.  But then it says we will call upon God, come to God, and pray to God.  Then God will hear us.  We will seek God and find him when we seek him with ALL of our heart. This requires action – our faith in action.  Believing and trusting in God’s plan – sometimes before we understand it or know what it really means.  Changes come our way that we do not understand or know how to deal with, but God knows the future.  I am so thankful that all our tomorrows are in his hands. I love this quote:

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sometimes, we don’t see God’s whole plan.  We don’t see where the next step takes us, but faith says to take it.  Sometimes the stairs appear too steep and we can’t see the top (or bottom) but we just have to move forward. 

One of my favorite old gospel songs that I keep going back to in my mind is “One Day at a Time, Sweet Jesus”.  The lyrics are:

I'm only human, I'm just a woman
Help me believe in what I could be and all that I am
Show me the stairway I have to climb
Lord, for my sake teach me to take one day at a time

One day at a time, sweet Jesus
That's all I'm asking from You
Just give me the strength to do every day
What I have to do

Yesterday's gone, sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine
Lord, help me today, show me the way
One day at a time

Do you remember when You walked among men?
Well Jesus, You know, if You're looking below, it's worse now than then
Cheating an stealing, violence and crime
So for my sake, teach me to take one day at a time

One day at a time, sweet Jesus
That's all I'm asking from You
Just give me the strength to do every day
What I have to do
Yesterday's gone, sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine
Lord, help me today, show me the way
One day at a time

Maybe, it is even one step at a time as we move forward in God’s plan.  Faith – trust and believe – that God’s plan is best.  Take the step even when we can’t see the whole staircase.

A ship in port is safe,
but that’s not what ships are built for.
Sail out to sea and do new things.
– Grace Hopper

 So we must take the first step to reach our dreams…to find our purpose and then dream again and again.  Even though the winds may toss our ship and our direction may change over time, we keep going.  Even though we may fall out of the boat at times, we must get back on and adjust our sails to move forward.  Sometimes the storms of life may be hard but with God’s grace we can get through them and keep sailing.  There’s sunshine in the day and stars at night to light the way – even hiding behind the clouds.  God’s presence is all around us and with us.  If he is our guide, our destination is secure.

Come with me on this voyage and think about the waters of your life and how you face each day.  Ponder how to adjust the sails so that the winds move us forward…

And move forward, we must.  We must challenge ourselves and take first steps that lead us on our journey.  Today, it is a new journey – a new adventure – a new sharing of thoughts, ideas, and words of encouragement.  Please come with me…

 “Don’t wait for your ship to come in; swim out to it.” – Unknown