A Purpose Beyond Protection
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 3:28
When theologians speak of the Doctrine of Concurrence, they most naturally point to Genesis 50:20 and the account of Joseph and his brothers. While you may have never heard of this doctrine, you are quite familiar with it because what it points to are the times in the Bible where a person has one thing in mind, and God allows that “one thing” to happen, and through it accomplishes something the person who did the “one thing” could never have imagined. (Joseph’s brothers would not in their wildest dreams imagine that selling Joseph into slavery would be what ends up saving the family from starvation.)
The Bible is clear that God will not share His glory or praise with anyone else (Isaiah 42:8). Yet this is exactly what Nebuchadnezzar is up to in this chapter. He wants God’s people to bow and worship an image, his god that he has set up.. He wants to draw worship away from Yahweh and is willing to coerce.
But King Nebby (as he is known in the Veggie Tales videos!) doesn’t know two things. First, he doesn’t know Yahweh’s power to protect His boys even if they’re thrown in the fire. Second, he knows nothing about the Doctrine of Concurrence. So, in a fit of rage he sends the lads to what he thinks is their death, but in the end, ends up worshiping the very God whose worship he was trying to prevent. Isn’t God brilliant?
But all of this calls to mind an important point. Whether we are protected from or through a crisis, or even if we aren’t protected at all in the ways we thought we should have been, God always has another thing going on. He’s working things out in such a way that he will receive glory, honor and praise. We can rest comfortably in that reality, even when things really hurt.
I hope you don’t think today’s devotional is meant to be some hard-nosed attempt to say to us that we should grin and bear it when things don’t go well because God is going to get glory from it. It’s not that at all. Rather it’s intended to be a gentle reminder that we exist for Him (Colossians 1:16) and that things make a lot more sense when our greatest desire is His glory.
Because here’s the deal: While Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego got the protection they were hoping for, there are a boat load of saints in Hebrews 11 who didn’t. Yet we praise God today for their obedience and their example.
So, should we pray for and expect protection? Absolutely. Are we guaranteed protection in this life? No. But what we can be confident of is this: regardless of what happens, God has a purpose beyond it. And the more aligned we are with His plans and desires, the better off we’ll be.
Scott Smith
Pastor of Discipleship
Fellowship in the Fire
As a child I remember hearing the story of a teenage girl named Joni Eareckson who had become a quadraplegic after diving into the Chesapeake Bay. In a brief moment, Joni went from being an athletic 17 year old to spending her life in a wheelchair; unable to move her body from her neck down. In High School, I had the privilege of hearing Joni speak at Emmanuel Faith and then I got to meet her in person in college. I marveled at her faith in the midst of trials. How could someone who had lost all mobility and lived in constant pain, continue to proclaim God’s goodness, let alone learn to paint with her mouth, and run an international ministry for the handicapped?
This past weekend, Pastor Ryan taught from Daniel 3: “Faith in the Fire.” We know that fire refines and that according to Romans 5, suffering produces endurance. We may know that God is with us in the fire, but have we really experienced it? Can fellowship exist in the middle of a fire? Paul tells us in Philippians 3 that everything is worthless compared to the infinite value of knowing Jesus. Verse 8 says, “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”. This suffering produces a righteousness that depends only on faith in God. Verse 10 goes on to say, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”
In the days following her accident, Joni’s story was long from over. The immediate pain and depression that she experienced was just a glimpse of the agony to come. Today, over 50 years later, which also includes a bout of cancer, Joni still wakes up every morning in pain; relying on her husband and caretakers to bathe her, dress her and care for all of her physical needs. Joni has been honest about her suffering; not minimizing it, but instead embracing it as such that she could connect with the pain that Jesus went through; sharing in his sufferings and experiencing sweet fellowship with him. Joni demonstrates a person who experienced God in the midst of suffering in ways that we may not experience him at other times.
Long after her accident Joni wrote, “It’s as though God is reintroducing me to suffering, like I”m brand new to it and have never experienced it before… yet perhaps the gift of this pain, this quadriplegia, this cancer, is that it forces me to recognize my deep, deep need of God..” In her suffering Joni found fellowship, another in the fire, holding her in her pain. Joni says, “He has chosen not to heal me, but to hold me. The more intense the pain, the closer His embrace.”
What fire are you experiencing today? Do you feel alone or are you finding fellowship with God in your suffering? Following is a link to “I am not Alone” by Kari Jobe. Take a few moments to listen to the words of this song. Believe it in your heart; you are not alone. Kari Jobe - I Am Not Alone (Live)
Lynette Fuson
Director of Counseling and Soul Care
But if Not …?
Sitting at a luncheon for young pastors I found myself next to an aspiring worship leader who was the first person to introduce me to what I’ve since learned is the prosperity gospel. I sat stunned as he explained that God was going to bless his recording and worship leading work, especially financially, it had to be financially, because that was God’s plan for faithful believers. As he explained, I asked questions. Turns out, he believed God had also promised physical protection from sickness too as long as he was faithful, and ministry minded. I asked for specific biblical support for his understanding, but I can’t remember any specific scripture he may have mentioned. When I asked him about Jesus' words in my wife’s favorite verse and how that fit his doctrine, he didn’t have an answer. John 16:33 “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.”
The same thing happened when I mentioned Luke 9:23 where Jesus taught “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” I explained that the gospel isn’t a promise of health and wealth on this earth. That is what the pagans chase after. Rather, it’s the promise of what is to come. I could tell my words had no effect, like water off a duck’s back. He didn’t want to consider; he didn’t want to hear.
I’ve experienced great frustration and even sickness in my heart at televangelists and others who twist the good news off of focus on God’s purposes and on to the stuff of life which so easily entangles. Perhaps that’s why stories of believers willing to risk it all for truth, for God, can be so encouraging and inspiring.
Three examples to me from an early age have been Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. These men would not bow down to a false God and their words given to the king explain that they didn't believe God was obligated to save them as a result of their faith, but rather that God could save them.
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.” Daniel 3:16-18
But even if he does not…
God is able to prosper us, heal us, deliver us from trouble, and make our dreams come true, but even if he does not, we will not serve or worship these false gods.
Kick the prosperity gospel to the curb. Are any of us ready to live for the Lord if we aren’t willing to suffer & die for him too?
Pastor John Riley
Junior High Ministry
Trial by Fire
"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." I Peter 1:6-7 (ESV)
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had no idea whether they would come out of that furnace alive or not (Daniel 3). This was literally a trial by fire. Tony Evans once wrote, “either you are in a trial now, you’ve just come out of a trial, or you’re getting ready to go into a trial.” Trials are inevitable, but not forever. The Bible teaches that we can and must flee the flames of trial and temptation; and then there comes a time when it appears the only way out of the fire is through it. Authentic faith is more precious than gold, and in the furnace, the fire tests just how genuine our faith really is. No matter the degree or duration of the trial, we will not be overtaken and destroyed if we have indeed placed our faith in Christ. It might feel that way at times, but that is never our loving Father’s intention. If necessary (v. 6), we are carried deeper into the fire by hands of sovereign grace and refined; burning away what one hymn writer called the “dross (impurities; worthless rubbish).” Then he draws to the surface the pure, concentrated gold of faith in our lives. An example of this process unfolds before us as we read how these three Hebrew men, full of faith and courage, faced their own crisis of belief. Each and every moment of pain, suffering, loss, rejection, attack, slander, persecution, loneliness - all these and more, are used by the Father to do a refining, purifying work in them and us, according to His design and for His purposes.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego may not have planned on going to the furnace that day, but they were definitely prepared - through their unwavering faith and hope in Yahweh. I’m sure they walked out even stronger than when they went in, and the same can be true for us as well. Faith must be pursued, taken up and secured before we face the flames. This is one of the primary reasons we pursue the daily practices of reading the Word and prayer, so that we are prepared, informed and ready to pass through the furnace with confidence in Christ and filled with the stamina to persevere. Each day, we move one step closer to becoming pure, shining displays of His power, grace, and glory, through every fiery furnace we face.
Dave Hook
Pastor of Worship
The Idle Idol
“You are commanded… to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down, and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” Daniel 3:4-6
Daniel tells us that King Nebuchadnezzar was the mastermind behind this big idea to make a statue of himself for everyone to worship at the cost of death. Have you ever considered the stupidity of this? I know I am not supposed to call other people stupid, but this guy must not have been playing with a full deck. He most likely forced slaves to build a statue of himself and then tried to force other people to worship said statue. He knew what the stuff looked like before they turned it into a statue. He knew that there was no power in this statue; that it could not do anything; that the idol was... well... idle. Why did he want them to worship it? Did he ever stop to think that forced worship is not real worship? Did it ever cross his mind that maybe people were just going through the motions and that they didn’t really want to worship him? Was he concerned that this was just for show? Apparently not.
Now, maybe I should not pick on King Neb too much. He was just doing what every man-made religion has done throughout time immemorial: ask people to change the outside, without caring about the inside. That is all Neb was doing. He was not interested in the way people thought about the statue. He did not seem to care whether people formed well thought out beliefs about it. And he did not want them to see themselves in any personal relationship to the statue. This kind of thing is all that man-made religion has ever wanted. But this is what makes the way of Jesus so much different.
The character of God revealed to us in Jesus is so very different. Jesus did not want obedience for obedience sake. He wants a relationship with his people first. While relationships may be stickier and messier, they are so much better! According to Jesus, God wants you to care for and love him in return. He cares about what you think and believe, not just about what you do. In fact, a big part of Jesus’ message to us can be summed up in the words he spoke on the cross, “It is finished.” Did you get that? He did it. The work is done. The idols are idle, but Jesus saved the world! With Jesus, there are no motions to go through, he is not even asking you to contribute anything… at all. He simply wants you to accept the gift that he is giving… Himself. Accept his gift afresh today.
Pastor Josh Rose
No King Rules Forever
When I was younger I always loved building sand castles. Whether it was in the sandbox or on the beach I was always busy building elaborate ramparts, tunnels, passageways, walls, and fortresses. The more I threw myself into the project of building an impressive castle the more I ran away from the haunting realization: this won’t last.
Sure enough, the waves or the wind would eventually come and the impregnable citadel I poured hours of my life into would be reduced to a ruin with barely a trace to commemorate.
That’s the scary thing about sand castles: the more we invest in them, the more we deceive ourselves about their permanence.
What’s true of sand castles is true of all the nations and organizations on this planet: though they dominate the landscape and rule the fate of individuals and whole communities today, tomorrow they may go belly up and to the waste bin of history. The more we invest time, effort, emotion, and energy into them the more we deceive ourselves into thinking they’re permanent.
Daniel was under no delusions. While the king of Persia was for a time the man in charge, Daniel understood that this man’s time in the sun was to be short lived. He was not concerned with playing king-of-the-hill with a man who was already quickly fading away. Likewise, God’s people are called not to overthrow the governments of the world, but to rather suffer and tolerate them for the time being. They’re so fleeting as to be almost inconsequential in God’s eternal timeline.
Daniel’s influence went beyond the very king under whom he served. “And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.” (Daniel 1:21) On the surface it may have looked like Daniel was subservient to a godless government, yet he saw the bigger picture of God’s eternal, everlasting, reign - far beyond the kingdoms of the world.
Even when Jesus’ life itself was at stake he didn’t break a sweat: “My kingdom is not of this world,” he proclaims, much to Pilate’s bewilderment. May we likewise have a steady faith against the unsteady governments of the world.
Pastor Ryan Lunde
Pastor of Young Adults
Remember the Dream
There is a reason that all the magicians and enchanters saw this as an impossible request. It was an impossible request! King Nebuchadnezzar was asking them not only to interpret his dream, but to somehow explain the content of his dream as well miraculously. They were right when they said, “No one can reveal it to the king except the gods…” Those words were true. The dream could only be revealed by God himself, which makes Daniel’s statement in 2:28 so powerful: “But there is a God in heaven…” That is one of the greatest “buts” of the Bible!
One question I have always had about this passage is, why not just tell his wise men the dream and let them interpret it? That seems like it would have been a lot more efficient. Maybe he had even forgotten his dream and he was looking for someone to explain it to him. Even if parts that were familiar to him, dreams are always easy to put into words. They are often nebulous and elusive. Have you ever tried explaining your dream to someone? Every time I’ve tried, it just seems like it made much more sense in my head. Maybe King Neb’s dream was much like our dreams… just a little elusive and beyond reach.
Can you relate? Do you have dreams that seem out of your grasp? Not sleeping dreams, but life dreams? Are they ever a little too elusive? Maybe they seem too big for you. Or the type of thing that you can’t quite put into words. Even worse, you may have given up on dreaming altogether. It may be time to be reminded of your dream. To remember what the purpose of all of this is. Maybe you just need to hear the words, “But there is a God in heaven.”
However, the dream that I want you to remember today is not your own personal dream, it’s the dream of Jesus. His dream for your life is not illusive, it is solid and real … as real as the splinter you would have if you touched his cross. Allow Jesus to be your dream. Remember, he is our King! Yes, he’s gone away for a bit and left us to take care of things while he is gone. But the good news is that he is not far away and he’s coming back. Let’s get this place ready for him today! Father, may your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven!
Pastor Josh Rose
A Life-or-Death Step of Faith
Have you ever been given a task that seems impossible or overwhelming? Now, imagine being told that your life depends on you not only trying to do the task, but excelling at it. Talk about stress!
That’s what happens in Daniel 2. King Nebuchadnezzar wants someone to not only interpret his dream, but to first tell him what he dreamt. It seems like a laughable request until we realize he’s deadly serious. In fact, if no one can tell him what he dreamt and what it meant, a whole lot of people are going to die. Enter Daniel. This exiled man is so confident in God that he goes to the king and asks if he could interpret the dream. And that’s BEFORE God ever revealed the dream to him. Now that’s a step of faith!
Has there been a time in your life where you’ve taken a step of faith when the path ahead was scary and consequential? Daniel knew he couldn’t do it without God, and urged his friends to pray. That night, God granted him the revelation of the dream, but Daniel didn’t stop to gloat, cheer or run off to save his life. No, the very first thing he did was to thank God. Daniel 2:23, says, “I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you …”
Then, when Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar, he made sure to give all glory to God. Check out Daniel 2:27-28 & 30.
“Daniel replied, ‘No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. ... As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.’”
And because Daniel took that step of faith and was sure to give God the glory, the king was pointed toward the truth. Here’s verse 47, “The king said to Daniel, ‘Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.’”
Take a moment to reflect on this story. Is there something in your life that you need God to reveal to you? Spend time asking your Heavenly Father to show you, and trust that He will reveal it to you in His perfect timing.
Psalm 25:4-5 (NLT) is a great scripture to pray, “Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.”
Cyndie de Neve
Senior Creative Director
Lost In My Mind
When my kids were little I had a nightmare that people were breaking into my house. Apparently, the dream was so real I grabbed a baseball bat and went running down the hall screaming I’m going to get you! Needless to say no one went back to bed in my house after that! Dreams cause us to go through a range of emotions and can have an effect on our perspective about what is coming up next.
Nebuchadnezzer was so troubled or disturbed by his dream, he needed help (Daniel 2:1). He couldn’t rest, he couldn’t think, he started to act differently and make threats to his trusted advisors (Daniel 1:5). He was so tormented by his dream, that finding out the meaning was the only way he could take the next step. He turned to advisors, magicians, enchanters, astrologists, to tell him what he needed to know, but no one had answers. Have you ever looked for advice from the wrong people and couldn’t get the answers you needed?
Often we find ourselves troubled by circumstance or various things that happen to us or around us. When you are troubled where do you turn? Nebuchadnezzer turned to the wrong people. I have done that at times as well, instead of seeking out God and what he offers or advice from someone who is walking with the Lord, I turn to others for answers I want. Usually I am left lost or troubled, without hope or answers..
The story in Daniel chapter 2 reminds us that God knows all, that God can do all, and that God will guide us as we need. It reminds us that our hearts do not need to be troubled because we can turn to Jesus for the peace we need (John 14:27). It shows us how his truth will guide us (Proverbs 3:5-6; John 17:17). It reminds us that God won’t hide from us when we seek him (Proverbs 8:17).
If you are troubled, seek out the Lord and let him know, he wants to help you. If you need help, we are here to pray and seek out the Lord with you.
Pastor Jeremy Johnson
Normal?
I’m sure I am asked at least once every day, “do you think we’ll ever get back to normal?” The assumption is that before the Covid virus changed the world, life was “normal.” When Daniel was snatched away by the King and forced into training for his service, he faced a very different “normal.” His future was uncertain. His reaction was to take a quiet stand for his beliefs as we saw in Daniel 1 and God honored his desire to be obedient to him.
We tend to focus on the temporary things of the moment. God's sovereignty extends beyond the immediate story to take in all of history. In Daniel 2 on the human level Daniel is set against the Babylonian magicians who fail to interpret the king's dream, but the cosmic conflict is between the God of Israel and the false Babylonian gods. Paul reminds us of this in 2 Corinthians 4:18: “Things that are seen don’t last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. That’s why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen.” (CEV).
Our problems won’t last forever. The coronavirus pandemic won’t last forever. Uncertainty with the economy won’t last forever. The fires won’t last forever. Our eternal normal hasn’t changed! Our hope for the future hasn’t changed. God’s character hasn’t changed. That doesn’t mean that we have to be happy all the time putting on our happy Christian mask, as if nothing swirling around us has any affect on us. God wants us to pour out to him our frustrations, concerns, and even our anger with things that are confusing and seemingly out of control in our world. We know the One who is ultimately in control. Once we lay it all at the feet of Jesus, and confess anything hindering our relationship with him, our peace and joy should be evident. We shouldn’t look like other people we see looking haggard and hopeless--because of covid, politics, or whatever the latest loop is running in the media. Wringing of hands, grinding of teeth, yelling, responding in anger isn’t what the Lord wants us to do today or any other day, when what he offers is comfort, assurance and a peace that passes all human understanding.
I've seen those forever changed by the death of a loved one, a serious illness or accident bringing glory to God by professing that he is with them in every adversity and can cause good to come out of it. They share their faith and impact or encourage others. So, when everything looks negative around us how can we focus on the eternal rather than temporal matters? How can we encourage someone today? Practically, maybe we can turn off the news, social media etc. and spend that time in God's word and prayer.
Father, please help us keep our eternal focus and our eyes on you. Amen
Deb Hill
Executive Administrative Assistant
