Living in the Lion's Den

Everybody loves the story that ends with a triumph.  Remember the 2006 film, The Pursuit of Happyness (sic)? It is based around the story of Chris Gardner,(played by Will Smith) who was a struggling single father trying hard to make a life for his son.  He gets beaten down over and over.  The saga includes homelessness and despair. But, he won’t give up and eventually becomes a financial success. I hated the film when I first watched it!  My heart ached for this man who wanted to be a good father, who wanted to succeed in life.  It is relentlessly tragic until the very end.

I do believe what Jesus says – that the last will be first, the suffering will find healing.  His famous promise of the Great Reversal is shaped like this:  “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth." (Matthew 5:2-5, NLT)  "God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." (Matthew 5:10, NLT)  However, I also know that the plot of ‘His-story’ does not always follow the line I desire.  To all appearances, sometimes the bad guys win; sometimes suffering goes on regardless of our brave and faithful prayers.

The Bible includes a great story - Daniel in the lion’s den. I first heard it when I was about 4 years of age from an older woman with cut-out pictures pressed onto a flannel board in a little Sunday room in Iowa. Her voice earnestly told us about Daniel’s faithfulness to God, about his prayers, and the terrible people who hated him so much that they conspired to have him tossed to the lions.   She told it with such passion that my little heart pounded and I wondered if “that good man get eaten?”   The Sunday School version has God showing up to shut the mouths of the lions and Daniel emerging from the danger like a conquering hero.  “Yea!” I cheered.  Faith grew in me and I learned to trust the Lord.

With maturity, there is another lesson that emerges from the story too subtle for a little child.  God allowed Daniel to enter the lion’s den for a greater purpose. Temporarily, evil seemed to win. He spend a long night alone with lion’s snarling and snapping an arm’s length away!  But, Daniel’s integrity was so notable, his faith so unquestionable, that even the pagan king shared his hope! "The king caved in and ordered Daniel brought and thrown into the lions’ den. But he said to Daniel, “Your God, to whom you are so loyal, is going to get you out of this.”  (Daniel 6:16, The Message)  "At daybreak the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. As he approached the den, he called out anxiously, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve so loyally, saved you from the lions?”  (Daniel 6:19-20, The Message)  The real hero of this story is not Daniel, is it?  The Almighty God is the One who gets the glory when the deliverance comes.

Are you living in the lion’s den of life right now?  
Has the Lord, your loving Father, allowed you to live with suffering, or defeat, or circumstances that defy your best efforts to turn them around?

Pray for rescue!  But, also remember that it may be His will to leave you there for a long night, for His own purposes.  “Come on, Jerry, that is not fair.”  Yes, I understand that and I weep with you. I am living close to sorrow, in the presence of pain, too. I would like Him to show up and lift Bev and me from the lion’s den, but while I wait, I will trust and pray that my life will reveal genuine faith, that I remain steady in trust, hopeful and committed to serving Him.

Sometimes the greater victory is not the one we seek.  Peter wrote to the first generation of Christians who were being intensely persecuted. His words would not go over well in our American churches where we like the “Sunday School” version of life where good guys always win and every difficulty finds immediate relief when God’s people pray.  He teaches something very different – “if you find life difficult because you’re doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what He’s doing, and He’ll keep on doing it.” The Message, 1 Peter 4:19

Here is a word from the Word. Let it inspire you to hold onto God even through the night in the lion’s den. 
"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." (James 1:2-4, The Message)  
"Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life." (James 1:12, The Message)

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Victory In Jesus

I heard an old, old story;

How a Savior came from glory-

How He gave His life on Calvary,

To save a wretch like me!

I heard about His groaning,

Of His precious blood's atoning,

Then I repented of my sins

And won the victory.

I heard about His healing,

Of His cleansing pow'r revealing;

How He made the lame to walk again

And caused the blind to see!

And then I cried, “Dear Jesus,

Come and heal my broken spirit.”

And somehow Jesus came and brought

To me the victory.

I heard about a mansion

He has built for me in glory,

And I heard about the streets of gold

Beyond the crystal sea!

About the angels singing,

And the old redemption story,

And some sweet day I'll sing up there

The song of victory.

O victory in Jesus,

My Savior forever!

He sought me and bought me

With His redeeming blood.

He loved me ‘ere I knew Him,

And all my love is due Him.

He plunged me to victory,

Beneath the cleansing flood.

Eugene M. Bartlett

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Jerry D. Scott, Pastor

Faith Discovery Church

Washington, NJ  07882

http://www.FaithDiscovery.com

The Great Resolve

I hate ‘loose ends.’  Where possible I like to work in a way that completes tasks in a timely manner.  When I mow my lawn, I do it – trimming, sweeping up – before I go into the house. A job that could stretch over an entire afternoon can be completed in less than 2 hours, if I stay with it to the end.  But, oh what temptation hits me about an hour in. “Take a break, sit on the deck, finish later!” 

Much of life resists tying up loose ends quickly. Many experiences are processes.  Becoming a mature follower of Jesus is not an event, never just one choice. It is a daily decision to listen, learn, and act in a way that conforms to the Word and Spirit. Making our way through sorrow demands endurance and patience, too.  As much as we want to just ‘’get through it”  the Lord sets the pace.  There is one truth that is absolutely foundational for us.  It is knowing that He will bring about the Great Resolve, that His plans will work out.  Habakkuk, the prophet, thought that God had stopped working.  Everything was going wrong!  His nation was heading for destruction.  His heart broke. But, a man of faith, he went to prayer.  Here is what God spoke into his heart. "Write my answer in large, clear letters on a tablet, so that a runner can read it and tell everyone else. But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. “Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked; but the righteous will live by their faith." (Habakkuk 2:2-4, NLT)

When He puts us in His waiting room, leaving us in a situation that to all appearances isn't going well, we are tempted to conclude that He has forgotten us.  Press on! Stay steady. Don’t lay down, play the victim, or throw away your hope. The knots will unravel, the pieces will fall into place, and – in time – you will know that He's been at work all along.

Paul talks about the purposes of God working out in life. We like him, often have to accept that God’s plans are so much different than ours!  Paul was is under house arrest in Rome, kept from his preaching travels in the Empire. Those who looked at his life's situation concluded that God had sidelined the apostle in a dead-end place. Some even made fun of him, saying that he was finally getting what he deserved.  The truth was that God was multiplying Paul’s ministry effectiveness by putting him among the 'movers and shakers' of the Roman world in a way unthinkable in human plans.  As Paul continued to be faithful, even those dark days, the Spirit whispered assurance and helped him to see that there was a plan.  

Paul explained that "everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including all the soldiers in the palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, many of the Christians here have gained confidence and become more bold in telling others about Christ." (Philippians 1:12-14, NLT) He was evangelizing the soldiers of the palace guard, the elite young men of the realm! Every day they stood in the room where he prayed, wrote, counseled, and taught. They learned about the living Lord. Some were converted and took the message back to their homes and families.

Are you in a miserable place? Does one hard day follow the last? Has grief or pain seized you in a grip that feels deadly? Allow the eternal Word to strengthen your faithful resolve to walk with the Lord.  He promises-  "the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them. “So you’ll go out in joy, you’ll be led into a whole and complete life. The mountains and hills will lead the parade, bursting with song. All the trees of the forest will join the procession, exuberant with applause." (Isaiah 55:11-12, The Message)

Wait, weep, and trust the revelation of the Great Resolve. God’s counsel is found in the word from the Word for today.  "Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And a righteous person will live by faith. But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” But we are not like those who turn their backs on God and seal their fate. We have faith that assures our salvation." (Hebrews 10:36-39, NLT)

Can you see Heaven?

Eternity. Heaven. Home.  Those are not just words in my Christian dictionary: they are lifelines!  Living in the ‘valley of the shadow of death’  causes me to think often of the promise of God.  What a silly young man I was when, in my arrogance, I would smile about what I referred to as  'Heaven talk.'  I was young and strong, death was far away (I thought) on the horizon of time, so it seemed to me that talking about Heaven was an escape from the realities of life. I wondered, 'why do those old Christians get all misty eyed and claim to want to be in a place where they have never been?'  Oh, no more!  

A friend died last week. A young man from our community took a hit on the football field on Friday night and died soon thereafter. I will help his family cope with their grief at a service this week. My wife stands at the gate of Eternity as I write.  The only way my heart can find comfort is to remember what God, through Christ, guarantees. Jesus says,  "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:1-3, NIV)

African Americans, in the time of slavery, led hard lives, full of sorrow. How did they keep their spirits alive? They sang of God's sweet home. Songs like "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "There is a Balm in Gilead" and "Marching Up the Heavenly Road" and "Gonna Shout All Over God's Heaven" sustained their hearts with hope they could not find here in this world. My Pentecostal ancestors, people who were generally poor and struggling with difficult lives, sang of Heaven, too. "When We all Get to Heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be, when we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory" they sang out on Sunday morning; and they meant it!

Heaven is not just a dream. It is home!  Sitting next to Bev yesterday as she exists in the twilight kind of consciousness that is common to the dying, I murmured over and over to her – “Honey, there is no fear because you are going home, home, home;   no more moving, no more friends left behind, no more storms, temptations, or sorrows – home!”  The Bible says "All these people died still believing what God had promised them. . . .  They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." (Hebrews 11:13-16, NLT)

Peter tells us to keep our hearts set on our true Home. "Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives." (1 Peter 2:10-12, The Message)

I heard preachers warn of being 'so Heavenly minded, you're no earthly good!'  I think they were wrong!  He who sets his heart on Heaven will be the most effective servant of God here on earth. He will not waste time trying to hold onto what will inevitably be torn from his grasp. He will not attempt to build a kingdom here, knowing that his reward is secure in an Eternal Kingdom. He will not fear – Hell, Storm, Devil, or Death – or whatever may come into his life. Why? Because he knows that this life is a pilgrimage, only the prelude to the Story written by His Eternal God.

He know he is not HOME yet, but that there is a home ready for him.

The word from the Word today -
"This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way.
All that’s left now is the shouting—God’s applause!
Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming. "
(2 Timothy 4:7-8, The Message)
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Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

You call me out upon the waters,

The great unknown where feet may fail.

And there I find You in the mystery,

In oceans deep, my faith will stand.

And I will call upon Your name,

And keep my eyes above the waves.

When oceans rise,

My soul will rest in Your embrace,

For I am Yours and You are mine.

Your grace abounds in deepest waters,

Your sov'reign hand will be my guide.

Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me,

You've never failed and You won't start now.

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders,

Let me walk upon the waters,

Wherever You would call me.

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander,

And my faith will be made stronger,

In the presence of my Savior.

I will call upon Your name,

Keep my eyes above the waves.

My soul will rest in Your embrace,

I am Yours and You are mine!

Joel Houston | Matt Crocker | Salomon Ligthelm

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