Hiding from the Heat

Daniel 3:19

“Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual”

Fourth of July is tomorrow. Many families are planning to participate in neighborhood parties, cookouts, and local parades. My family is used to being hot on this national holiday. We took our children to the zoo when they were in the single-digit age range. Watching elephants was one of the hot highlights of the event, but the snake house was one of the cool highlights. I treasured the air conditioned building and didn’t pay much attention to the creepy residents winding through their small grassy habitat. That wasn’t my favorite place, but it was a great place to hide from the heat.

Another place to hide from heat is the presence of God. Just ask three young men who were thrown into a fiery furnace because they refused to worship the king’s gods. The king found out they weren’t following his orders and asked them about it – giving them a chance to change their minds.

Verses 16 through 18 tell us, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’”

Verse 19 tells us the king’s orders were his way of challenging the young men’s ideas of being saved from instant death. However, after they were thrown into the furnace, it was instantly apparent that they were in the presence of God. God not only saved them from the heat, but joined them in it.

The king got an education that day and made it known that he’d changed his mind about the young men and their refusal to worship other gods. He learned that the God these men had been willing to die for was the only God who could save them.

If you’re in the heat this week or weekend, remember that it’s cooler in the presence of God.

Thanks for seeking God with me today.

Summer Reading, part eleven

Today’s reading is Psalm 57 through Psalm 62. A psalm is a hymn or sacred song. David did a lot of singing. He often wanted to worship God because he was grateful to God for saving his life every time the enemy came against him.

When David fled from Saul and went into the cave, he wrote songs of praise because God kept saving him. Psalm 57:6 gives us a look at what happens when the enemy plans our demise. “They dug a pit in my path – but they have fallen into it themselves.” David felt like singing. Verse 9 shows his attitude. “I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.”

Psalm 59 tells us once again of how David, running for his life, was able to sing every morning in praise to God. Verse 17 is David singing about being kept safe by God. “You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.”

David wrote in Psalm 61:4, “I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.” God protects those who are his. David experienced this, and we can too. David had a very close relationship with God. We have to get close to God and lose ourselves in him in order to be hidden in his wings.

If anyone needed a rest, it was David. He ran from his enemy and hid from those who wanted to kill him. But David knew where to go for rest. Psalm 62:1 tells us, “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.”

Because David shared his experiences with us, we know that we can trust God too. We can run to the shadow of God’s wings and find rest. Next time, we’ll be reading Psalm 63 through 68.

Second Chance at Life 3

1 Kings 17:12

“As surely as the LORD your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”

A widow, depressed because of the drought and famine in the land and because of the emptiness of her kitchen, decided to make one last loaf of bread for herself and her son before they die. Elijah asked her to make him a small loaf first so that her supply of flour and oil would never run out until it rained again.

That makes me think of the verse in Exodus 22:22, “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless.” But in 1 Kings 17:7-24, Elijah never intended to take advantage of her. He was obeying God, and he wanted to bless her and prosper her by helping her act on her faith in God.

Staring at empty shelves in the fridge makes you feel the emptiness in your belly. If you had practically nothing in your kitchen, would you do as this widow did and plan your last meal? Or would you spend time reading the Bible, listening to God, and worshiping him rather than focusing on your lack?

God is more real than the lack in your life. When God is more real to you than what you feel, it’s easier to trust and listen to his plan.

The widow had to obey God’s plan as spoken by the prophet. You can obey God when you learn to listen to him. You can listen to him better when you stop listening to the distracting noise of lack in your life.

The widow and her son who were given a second chance to live out their faith in God had to change the way they were living in order to take advantage of the lessons learned from the prophet. When we get a second chance, we have to take the “do-over” seriously. We have to change something in how we respond to the situation or we’ll waste the opportunity.

Today, you and I must take a look at lessons we learn in life and make changes in order to apply those life lessons.

Second Chance at Life 1

John 11:32

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

December is a busy month. We want to shop for special things to give to those we love. We want to go to Christmas parties. But we also want to have time to sit with Jesus and worship him.

How do we make time for everything we want to do? Yesterday’s To Do list has become a Wish I Had list. We wish we had done more to show love and help others. We wish we had invested in people more often.

When we read about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, we see a picture of his sisters telling Jesus they wish he’d been there before Lazarus died. But Jesus didn’t have a Wish I Had list.

He only did what he was supposed to do. He knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead before he ever died. There was a purpose for it or it wouldn’t have happened.

God makes his plans work out so that we see him with a new perspective. He wants us to get to know him better.

God’s plans are always better than our plans, but they don’t look anything like our plans. No wonder God laughs at our plans.

Do you need a second chance at life? When Jesus raised Lazarus back to life, Lazarus had a second chance to do things he should’ve done before. He had a second chance to listen to and obey Jesus.

We don’t have to be raised from the dead to start our life over. We can submit to God today and begin a new relationship with Jesus.

Music has Passion

1 Chronicles 6:31

These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the Lord after the ark came to rest there.

Whom did God put in charge of music? People with great skill. People who could perform with a lot of heart. David was a composer and singer. He knew songs. He knew how to choose men to be leaders of choirs.

Have you ever heard someone sing with so much passion it made you want to sing along with that much passion or cry from the emotion of the performance? I have. I’ve listened to performances that left me speechless. Powerful performances make you feel and think.

When we worship God, are we giving everything we have to the performance before God? Do we sing in church like we were face-to-face with God and reaching out to minister to him with our hearts?

I imagine there are a lot of people who get distracted in church because of the padding or lack of it in the chairs, the temperature of the air, the people sitting nearby, or (these days) a buzz letting you know you’ve just received a text. I wonder what would happen to our relationship with God if we came to church to worship, really worship from the heart, with other believers. If we turned our phone completely off or (gasp) left it at home, would we have the courage to look God in the face and sing to him?

Would we be able to focus on pleasing God with our songs if we set aside our likes/dislikes and didn’t get disappointed that our favorite song hasn’t been sung in church for weeks? What about God? I don’t think he has a favorite song, but I think he has a favorite activity. He loves to listen to his children singing.

I’m a mom who used to hear my small children singing while playing with whatever toys they had in their hands at the time. Of course they weren’t worshiping me, but I loved listening to them. I’m sure God sometimes hears our worship songs and wonders why we even showed up for church. When we come prepared to make a joyful noise or a sound of thanksgiving in the company of our brothers and sisters, God leans in to hear it.

I know God wants more of our hearts. This month, I will make Music the topic for our consideration. Music is one of the ways God sees how we feel about him. When he hears our hearts, he can see that we’re throwing off complacency and selfishness in order to find special time with him.

Don’t let the month go by without growing in your musical gifts. Let’s seek God together in music.

Hiding From God?

Jeremiah 23:24

“Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?”

I was away from my computer last week. Did you know where I was? No, of course not. But God did.

God always knows where I am. I cannot run away from Him.

As a child, I was told not to run in church because it was God’s house. I wasn’t supposed to run in anyone’s house, especially not God’s house. But I knew God wasn't confined to the church. God was in the church and at the beach and on the football field. I knew God was everywhere.

He sees me when I’m at home or when I’m on vacation. If I go on a family vacation, we can camp in tents in the deep woods and still worship God together. We don’t have to find a church to worship in. We are members of God’s family, and He is with us. Always.

As God dots the earth with color this spring, remember Him. Remember that He can see in the dark, and there is no darkness that can cover Him. There is no secret that He doesn’t know.

Real Power

Ephesians 1:19-21

That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

God gave us his word for our understanding. If we will study his word, we will be able to know what he’s talking about when he has a conversation with us. For instance: the word “power” means something a little different to different kinds of people. God gives us one definition in the verses above.

This is power: God raised Jesus from the lowest point to the very highest. God is strong enough to do that. He can certainly hold us up under the stress and pressures of our everyday life.

Worship him because of his goodness, not because you have something to celebrate. Worship him not for his power but in his power.

Rest in him and be flexible under his guidance. Many of us get hard-headed and feel the need to press on until our power runs out. But our batteries need to be recharged too often for us to be really effective. Let God’s guidance signal our direction. Let his power keep you running until you arrive at the destination he sent you to. Know that the power he wants you to use is his power. He doesn’t expect you to be able to do in your own power what he asks of you.

Cherish his presence whether you think your day has been good or bad. God is still with you and can help you know his power.

Know Why You're Here, part four

John 17:22-23

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

One of the reasons God put you on this planet is so the world could see His presence in your life. When you submit to God’s plan, your life is filled with purpose and the power to achieve that purpose. When you submit to God’s plan, you begin to learn how powerful agreement with God is. When you submit to God’s plan, the world can see proof of God’s love as He shines through you.

I think it’s funny that some people think they have to work as a missionary in a far away land if they accept Jesus. That’s not true. Think of the thief on the cross who humbled himself before God and announced that he wanted a relationship with him. Jesus didn’t give out a list of ministry jobs he’d have to do to be accepted into Heaven.

Jesus simply accepted him.

The feeling of elation that comes with acceptance into God’s family causes worship to come from your spirit. The joy you feel is what others see – and they want it.

When you’ve been living in an intimate relationship with God, worshiping Him and getting to know Him better every day, people see that love and are attracted to it. The best evangelism is a life lived in love and truth.

Sin Revisited

1 Kings 12:28-30 (verses from: The Message)

So the king came up with a plan: He made two golden calves. Then he announced, "It's too much trouble for you to go to Jerusalem to worship. Look at these—the gods who brought you out of Egypt!" He put one calf in Bethel; the other he placed in Dan. This was blatant sin. Think of it—people traveling all the way to Dan to worship a calf!

Most people know that when Moses led God’s people out of Egypt, he went up to a mountain and carried down the Ten Commandments. When he came down to the people, he saw that they had constructed a golden calf to worship. You might think their descendants would tell that story enough times that no one would dare construct another golden calf to worship.

However, many years later, the people had forgotten much of the story about Moses and what happened when the people worshipped the golden calf. At least, they had forgotten the part about it being sin.

When I read chapter twelve of 1 Kings, I was reminded of the 1979 Bob Dylan song, “Gotta Serve Somebody.” A king can reject God’s wisdom, but he’s still going to serve someone. A king can rule over multitudes, but he’s still going to serve someone. A king who doesn’t serve Almighty God will find out sooner or later that he should have.

Worship The Only God

Psalm 86:8

“Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.”

Since Moses came down the mountain to give us the Ten Commandments, we have been breaking them almost every day. Especially the first one, which is, “You shall have no other gods before me.”

The first commandment reminds us of the plagues of Egypt. Every time Moses proclaimed a plague upon Egypt, God was dealing with the Egyptian gods. Pharaoh heard, “This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” His love was extended through difficult circumstances to show how much more powerful He was than the gods that were being worshiped.

Today, we still wonder if God is able to rescue us from the slavery we get ourselves into. We worship money and allow it to enslave us. We worship the sun and let it take away our health and beauty. God sees our wrongfully-placed worship and reminds us with miracles of healing and financial relief that He is still God.

But like the Hebrew people wandering in the wilderness, we forget about God’s love, provision, and protection. We whine and complain to God just as they did thousands of years ago. And He still loves us.

When we stop long enough to realize how much He loves us, we worship again with our whole heart.

Daily, He waits for our conversation. He waits for us to remember Him. He waits for us to remember that He is like no other.

He alone is God.