I was sitting there…
Listening to our pastor this morning.
And, to be fair to our pastor, I was listening and enjoying what he had
to say.
However, during one part of his talk this morning, my mind drifted and
I realized with some great sense of loss, that my family and I are in a season
of letting go.
I won’t go into all of the specifics, but several times this past week,
we each had to give up something that we didn’t necessarily want to give up, but
we did it anyway because sometimes in order for us to move on to something
better, we’re required to leave something else behind.
I have found in this life that it is extremely rare that we can keep
everything from the past and still get to move into something new and
beneficial.
This year has had its joys. It’s had its sorrows. And, it has seen us
leaving much of what we thought was not going to change, behind.
I’m not sure where each of you is in your journey through this life right
now, but I can assure you that if you have not experienced the loss and the
sorrow of giving up things that you thought were good and had benefits for you,
you will one day.
And, when you do reach that point of letting go…
You don’t have to walk through that fire alone. Jesus stands ready to
walk through it with you.
Now, He may not answer your prayers the way that you thought that he
should, but he’ll answer them just the same.
We often make the mistake of thinking that just because God did not answer
our prayers the way we thought He should have, that somehow our prayers have
gone unanswered.
That is simply just mistaken.
I have found that God always answers us.
Sometimes though, we just fail to see it.
You see, a “no” as an answer to our prayers is still an answer just the
same.
So, there is a question that begs to be asked by you and I when the
answer from the Lord is no.
Will you still follow Him? Will you still bow before Him and
acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior when He has not removed the cup of your
sorrow from you?
My prayer for you at this wee hour of the morning is this: “That no
matter what answer you (or I) receive from God, that we will still bow before
Him and acknowledge Him for our Lord and Savior no matter what answer He gives
us regarding our current trials.”
Stand strong in your faith, knowing that we can depend on God and His
love for us.
Seize the day!
Mike <><
I’ll leave you with the following verses for your encouragement today:
13Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14and Nebuchadnezzar said
to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my
gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15Now when you hear the sound
of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are
ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not
worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what
god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”
16Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar,
we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17If we are
thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from
it, and he will deliver us c from Your Majesty’s hand. 18But 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.”
19Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,
and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times
hotter than usual 20and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to
tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.
21So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were
bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22The king’s command was so urgent
and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took
up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23and these three men, firmly tied, fell
into the blazing furnace.
24Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked
his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the
fire?”
They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”
25He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound
and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
26Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and
shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come
out! Come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27and the
satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw
that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads
singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
28Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in
him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives
rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29Therefore I decree
that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned
into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”
