Reason #920
We are studying the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego tomorrow in bible study. I love this story and for so many reasons. So, tonight and who knows how many more nights, I'll probably be blogging a bit about the awesomeness that was the fire-y furnace. This story is pretty amazing, and I love how the Lord uses the stories we know so well to teach us something new.
I went to get my hair done today. I love getting my hair done. I think every woman deserves a day at the salon once in a while. Anyway, I love my hairdresser. I am sure I've blogged about her before. She is seriously a hair magician. She's incredible! She's been through a lot with me. I've known her since I was a little girl, so she has watched me grow up. She's done my hair for all the important milestones in my life, so she's gotten the first hand scoop on all of the mountains and valleys the Lord has walked me through.
I'll never forget the day I told her. I had made an appointment to get my hair done, and I knew it'd come up in our discussion. Christmas wasn't too far away, and I figured we'd spend our time talking about our holiday plans. I walked into her room and sat down on a chair at the side. She was finishing up another client, so she introduced us and then said, "We were just talking about Christmas shopping. Have you gotten all of your shopping done?" I said, "Yea, for the most part. My family just draws names at Christmas so that makes it really easy. I only have to buy two gifts." I hoped that was where the conversation would end but she said, "And what does your husband want for Christmas?" I looked at her, I looked at the lady sitting the chair, and I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if I should just straight up lie and come up with an answer that sounded legitimate or if I should just be honest. I wondered if I should just say something generic like. "Oh I'm not sure. I haven't really asked." That would have been a true statement. But I did the only thing I could think of in that moment. I ashamedly said, "A divorce."
She froze. The other woman looked at me with a puzzled face, and I could feel the tears burning in my eyes. It was the truth. A divorce doesn't land on most people's list of Christmas wishes, but there are some who ask for that. She dropped the comb out of her hands and walked right over to give me a hug. When she stepped back, tears were in her eyes, too. She understood. The other woman didn't know what to say, and that was fine. She didn't need to say anything at all. Things were getting worse and worse, and I just hoped I could escape it all during the time it took to get a new hair do.
I walked into her booth today, and we talked about Aaron and what all we have coming up for us. As she cut and colored my hair, and we visited about our families. She and her husband just celebrated their anniversary and she told me all about their celebratory trip. We both have stories of redemption, and we both have stories of fire, and as I read my lesson for tomorrow's bible study, I realized how those two things go hand in hand.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the furnace. It wasn't really a surprise to them, either. They were given two options. Renounce their faith in God and bow down to an idol, or go to the furnace. There wasn't going to be a good way out of this one. And so they chose the furnace. Really, to them, that was the only option. They didn't even consider the first option whatsoever. The king could have simply just skipped that step because his threats weren't going to change their minds. They were devoted to the Lord, fire-y furnace or not. That fire was intended to kill them. Interestingly enough, God chose the very thing that was meant for the death to be the very thing that He would use to rescue them.
I don't know how they felt walking to the furnace. Let's be honest, I highly doubt they were looking forward to it. I'm fairly certain they were hoping and praying with all their hearts that God would somehow intervene in a big way to keep them from being thrown into the flames. Like maybe He could just make those guards and the king drop dead. Maybe He could send that same chariot to pick them up that he sent to Elijah. Maybe, with His heavenly breath, He could just blow that flaming furnace out as one would blow out a candle. God could do a lot of things to rescue them, and I am sure they prayed for any and every option.
But the furnace was the answer. The terrifying furnace full of flames was what God was going to use to rescue them. He was going to allow them to be thrown right into the middle of the heat. Heat that was so hot it killed the guards that threw them in. You know this was not the option that they prayed for. You know this was last thing they were hoping would happen. But it happened, and you know what, they were just fine. In fact, not only were they fine, they were in God's presence. That's right. In the middle of that fire-y furnace, they found the Lord. He was using the fire and the flames to do great things. To show His power and His might. To change their lives. To changes the lives of the people watching. God was delivering them through their death sentence. Blessing their faithfulness to proclaim His name even when the heat was turned up.
We may very well get thrown into the fire. There may not be a "good" way to get out of the situation we're in. In fact, what appears to be the very worst option, the scariest, most painful option, may very well be the one the Lord chooses for us. And I know that doesn't always make sense, but God doesn't have to do things that make sense to us. He has been defying human logic since the world began. And so the flames may threaten you, but God will save you. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the middle of furnace may be the very place you find God. The Lord will use the very thing threatening to do the most damage to you to rescue you.
The trip to the furnace isn't easy. It wasn't meant to be easy. That's where you find out where you're true loyalties lie. Are you going to trust the Lord? Even though this seems like the worst possible thing that could happen to you, are you going to still remain faithful to Him? Are you going to believe that, regardless of what happens when you get thrown into the fires, He will use it to accomplish His purposes? Because if you knew that in the middle of the flames the Lord was going to meet you there, it might not be so bad, right? You might actually anticipate it. Like Aaron always says, "Past performance dictates future behavior." If the Lord has rescued and delivered you before, you can be most certain that He will again. No matter how big, how hot, and how scary the flames, He'll be there to get you through them.
#920 - Because sometimes the furnace is what He uses to rescue us.
"Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him...There is no other god who can rescue like this!” - Daniel 3:28-29
I went to get my hair done today. I love getting my hair done. I think every woman deserves a day at the salon once in a while. Anyway, I love my hairdresser. I am sure I've blogged about her before. She is seriously a hair magician. She's incredible! She's been through a lot with me. I've known her since I was a little girl, so she has watched me grow up. She's done my hair for all the important milestones in my life, so she's gotten the first hand scoop on all of the mountains and valleys the Lord has walked me through.
I'll never forget the day I told her. I had made an appointment to get my hair done, and I knew it'd come up in our discussion. Christmas wasn't too far away, and I figured we'd spend our time talking about our holiday plans. I walked into her room and sat down on a chair at the side. She was finishing up another client, so she introduced us and then said, "We were just talking about Christmas shopping. Have you gotten all of your shopping done?" I said, "Yea, for the most part. My family just draws names at Christmas so that makes it really easy. I only have to buy two gifts." I hoped that was where the conversation would end but she said, "And what does your husband want for Christmas?" I looked at her, I looked at the lady sitting the chair, and I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if I should just straight up lie and come up with an answer that sounded legitimate or if I should just be honest. I wondered if I should just say something generic like. "Oh I'm not sure. I haven't really asked." That would have been a true statement. But I did the only thing I could think of in that moment. I ashamedly said, "A divorce."
She froze. The other woman looked at me with a puzzled face, and I could feel the tears burning in my eyes. It was the truth. A divorce doesn't land on most people's list of Christmas wishes, but there are some who ask for that. She dropped the comb out of her hands and walked right over to give me a hug. When she stepped back, tears were in her eyes, too. She understood. The other woman didn't know what to say, and that was fine. She didn't need to say anything at all. Things were getting worse and worse, and I just hoped I could escape it all during the time it took to get a new hair do.
I walked into her booth today, and we talked about Aaron and what all we have coming up for us. As she cut and colored my hair, and we visited about our families. She and her husband just celebrated their anniversary and she told me all about their celebratory trip. We both have stories of redemption, and we both have stories of fire, and as I read my lesson for tomorrow's bible study, I realized how those two things go hand in hand.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the furnace. It wasn't really a surprise to them, either. They were given two options. Renounce their faith in God and bow down to an idol, or go to the furnace. There wasn't going to be a good way out of this one. And so they chose the furnace. Really, to them, that was the only option. They didn't even consider the first option whatsoever. The king could have simply just skipped that step because his threats weren't going to change their minds. They were devoted to the Lord, fire-y furnace or not. That fire was intended to kill them. Interestingly enough, God chose the very thing that was meant for the death to be the very thing that He would use to rescue them.
I don't know how they felt walking to the furnace. Let's be honest, I highly doubt they were looking forward to it. I'm fairly certain they were hoping and praying with all their hearts that God would somehow intervene in a big way to keep them from being thrown into the flames. Like maybe He could just make those guards and the king drop dead. Maybe He could send that same chariot to pick them up that he sent to Elijah. Maybe, with His heavenly breath, He could just blow that flaming furnace out as one would blow out a candle. God could do a lot of things to rescue them, and I am sure they prayed for any and every option.
But the furnace was the answer. The terrifying furnace full of flames was what God was going to use to rescue them. He was going to allow them to be thrown right into the middle of the heat. Heat that was so hot it killed the guards that threw them in. You know this was not the option that they prayed for. You know this was last thing they were hoping would happen. But it happened, and you know what, they were just fine. In fact, not only were they fine, they were in God's presence. That's right. In the middle of that fire-y furnace, they found the Lord. He was using the fire and the flames to do great things. To show His power and His might. To change their lives. To changes the lives of the people watching. God was delivering them through their death sentence. Blessing their faithfulness to proclaim His name even when the heat was turned up.
We may very well get thrown into the fire. There may not be a "good" way to get out of the situation we're in. In fact, what appears to be the very worst option, the scariest, most painful option, may very well be the one the Lord chooses for us. And I know that doesn't always make sense, but God doesn't have to do things that make sense to us. He has been defying human logic since the world began. And so the flames may threaten you, but God will save you. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the middle of furnace may be the very place you find God. The Lord will use the very thing threatening to do the most damage to you to rescue you.
The trip to the furnace isn't easy. It wasn't meant to be easy. That's where you find out where you're true loyalties lie. Are you going to trust the Lord? Even though this seems like the worst possible thing that could happen to you, are you going to still remain faithful to Him? Are you going to believe that, regardless of what happens when you get thrown into the fires, He will use it to accomplish His purposes? Because if you knew that in the middle of the flames the Lord was going to meet you there, it might not be so bad, right? You might actually anticipate it. Like Aaron always says, "Past performance dictates future behavior." If the Lord has rescued and delivered you before, you can be most certain that He will again. No matter how big, how hot, and how scary the flames, He'll be there to get you through them.
#920 - Because sometimes the furnace is what He uses to rescue us.
"Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him...There is no other god who can rescue like this!” - Daniel 3:28-29
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