Burn Us Up

I have never really had a CD player in my car. Ever. Unless you count a portable one tethered into my cassette tape player. But my new car finally allows my to listen to CDs on the go. So I recently listened to Shane and Shane's Pages. If you've never heard it, you need to at least hear the song "Burn Us Up." It's a song about Daniel's three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (or Rack, Shack, and Benny.) The song beautifully depicts the scene where Nebuchadnezzer threatened to throw anyone who did not bow to his statue into the furnace. I've always liked the song, but for some reason it struck me in a different way this time.

The bridge of the song starts out by like this:

"You are able to deliver from the fire of affliction!
It's the declaration of my Lord!
You're not an image of gold!
You're the God of Old.
You have made us. Come and save us. We are yours!"

The part that caught my attention is the next line: "but even if you don't." In Daniel 3, the three men say that they will not worship the image of gold. They know that God is able to save them from the fire of the furnace. But they will worship Him only, if if He doesn't. They were much more concerned with the glory and majesty of God then their own safety and comfort.

I believe we also need this attitude. If we desire for God's glory to fill the earth, we will begin to care less about our own happiness. We will learn to find joy in Him and not in the world. I also think about John the Baptist, who said "He must become more, I must become less." His goal was not to create a large ministry for himself... he gladly gave this up so Jesus could enter the spotlight.

Of course, John's story doesn't have a happy ending like the one in Daniel. John is beheaded in prison... he dies in obscurity. He is not saved from his affliction. The story doesn't always end the way we think it should. But His promise goes beyond this life and beyond anything we can imagine.

"Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." -Luke 7:23

Opportunities

Sorry it's been quite a while since I've written something. Here are just a few thoughts from today.

I'm taking an evangelism class this semester in seminary at Liberty. While this class does not seem very hard academically, it will definitely be a challenge spiritually and emotionally. We are required to report on several witnessing experienced. I emphasize that the requirement is the report, not the witnessing. It would be ideal if I entered this class as someone who regularly shares his faith, but I cannot say that's true for me. I rarely share with anyone. So I'm trying to see this class as an opportunity. It's going to be tough and it's going to force me to really rely on God for help and strength (which is in itself another opportunity.) Trying my hardest to think of it that way made me think of something else.

How often do we mistake opportunities for hassles or annoyances? I know I do it all the time. I could very easily view this class as a big pain, and whine about all the "assignments" that I have. Or I could take this chance to learn how to tell others about Jesus without fear. This is just one example of the many opportunities that I would rather not miss.

God WILL lift up your head.

Give to the wind your fears. Hope; be undismayed. God hears your sighs and counts your tears. God will lift up, God will lift up... lift up your head.

Aren't you glad God doesn't answer our selfish prayers? Aren't you glad He gives us what we need, and not what we think we need? ...No? Yeah, me neither.

But seriously. If God answered every prayer I prayed, I'd be in rough shape. In fact it seems like the one He keeps answering is that same one I prayed months ago. "God, show me I can trust You." I guess in a way, that was kind of a selfish prayer. But it was a prayer out of fear and uncertainty. Everything else had proved to be untrustworthy, so God was the only one left to turn to. So maybe God honors even a tiny bit of trust in Him. Even if it is out of desperation.

Leave to His sovereign sway to choose and to command. Than shall we wandering on His way know how wise and how strong, how strong is His hand.

I still seem to think I know what's best for me. I still seem to think that I know when things should happen and how they should happen. I beginning to think that maybe God isn't afraid to let us go through hard times, because He knows it will make us stronger. Ok, maybe I've been thinking that for a while now. But I need to remind myself.

I think that the more we choose to trust in His timing and plan, the more we begin to believe that we are safe in doing so. That doesn't mean the way is easy. It definitely won't be what we expect. But He knows the best way, and He will help us trust that.

Through waves and clouds and storms He gently clears the way. Wait 'cause in His time so shall this night soon end in joy.

God has brought me though some tough times. That's no secret. I'm beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel, but here's the question I have to ask myself: what if He could be all I need? What if I could be completely satisfied in Him and not need anything else? No emotional or financial stability... nothing. I don't know. Right now, he is helping me with all of those things. But what if He didn't? Could I still trust Him? I hope so.

But, He is faithful over and over. He cares for us. "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-31)

Trust in Him even when it's hard. Because you can. He's proved it to me.

Journeys

Well, I finally finished "Wild Goose Chase." It took me forever, but that's mostly because I kept forgetting to read it. But it was kind of a good thing that it took me so long. I started it back in May. I started reading it at the house I stayed in this summer with my friend Garrett. I opened it again at other times during the summer... in a car on the way back from a mission trip in Florida, on an airplane, on a train, and now in my room here in Wake Forest, NC. Finishing this book the other night brought back a flood of memories from the past four and a half months. God has brought many different places. It's been an interesting journey!

The journeys we go on are always interesting. That's the best way I have to describe them. At the time, we experience all kinds of emotions. Some of them we don't understand. Alright, I don't really understand any of them. But that's besides the point. We may feel sadness, confusion, pain. We may feel joy and comfort. Sometimes we feel them all at the same time. A lot of the time, we can't decide what we feel. Or what we think. It's times like this that remind me to stop trusting in myself.

"I have not been abandoned, no I have not been deserted and I have not been forgotten.

I need You.
I need You here, I need You now.
I need security somehow.
I need You.
Like you would not believe.
You're the only thing I want, cause You're everything I need."

Sometimes we just need to cry out these words. Sometimes we just need to remind ourselves that we need Him. When I say these words, I'm definitely not telling God anything He doesn't already know. When God takes us on difficult and interesting journeys, He does it for His glory. He does it to help us become who we were meant to be. And I believe that starts when we admit that we can't do it without Him.

Crowns

There have been a thousand things I've been thinking about or feeling, or both. Or neither. There is yet to be something that I could put into words. I still don't know if there is or not. But I'll try either way.

I've never liked change very much. I guess it depends on what exactly that change involves. Usually when I have to leave a place I've become comfortable with, and people that I love, it's very hard. This time has been especially hard. But there are things I'm beginning to realize.

Sometimes I think things like "if I could just _____ I'd be happy." Or maybe "if I was in a different stage of life I'd be happy." Here's the truth: we will never be happy until we cast our cares upon the Lord and fully trust in Him. I find that it's very easy to just half-way trust in Him. Even after all the things He has done in my life to show me I can trust Him, I still doubt Him somehow. It's easy to trust God when things go the way I think they should. The problem is that I sometimes don't see eye to eye with Him. Sometimes His plan is painful. Sometimes I'd much rather try to meet my needs on my own than trust Him to meet them for me. Sometimes I don't even know what my needs are!

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." -James 1:12

I think our problem when we go through hard times is that we focus too much on the trial and lose sight of the crown. The trial is all we can see. God does not promise to keep us from trial. In fact, He said that in the world we will have trouble. Maybe your trial will last a year, maybe 10, maybe a lifetime. But God promises us the crown of life if we stand the test. He promises to be with us through every step. He promises not to forsake us.