Re:Verse passage – Daniel 3:1-30 (day two)
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” vs. 17-18
I have found myself here more than I care to admit. My view of our Almighty God is based more on what he can do for me than for who He is. I have been guilty of looking at the Lord as a dispensary for miracles, favors, or constant help. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego remind me that we serve a God who is worthy of our praise even if he doesn’t dispense our wants and desires. Even if he doesn’t “deliver” us from sickness, struggles, or tough times; God is worthy of our devotion. Remember what he has done for you. Christ Jesus in his atonement through the cross has done all that we could ever need. If the Lord continues to allow us to walk a tough path, we can rest assured that, even this is temporary. Christ has won the victory and is worthy of our praise even in the uncertainty of today. I am grateful for this reminder from Daniel.
Here is an excerpt from one of our favorite anthems My Eternal King which speaks to a proper focus on who we worship:
Why, then why, O Blessed Jesus Christ,
Should I not love Thee well?
Not for the hope of winning heaven,
Or of escaping hell;
Not with the hope of gaining aught,
Not seeking a reward;
But as Thyself hast loved me,
O ever-loving Lord!
E’en so I love Thee, and will love,
And in Thy praise will sing;
Solely because Thou art my God,
And my Eternal King!
Amen, and I had to sing those words in my head ?
“looking at the Lord as a dispensary for miracles, favors, or constant help” made me stop to analyze this path I am on and seeing that I need to adjust my focus to He is in control and I need to focus on honoring Him in worship rather than focusing on what the future holds.
Aaron you are SPOT ON with your comment about thinking of my God dispensing good stuff & giving answers to our prayers when. especially at this time during the virus & being one of the MATURE! (OLD FOLKS!) in the community & church & all that’s being said about self-quarantine, etc.. the song replaying in my head today is EVEN IF by Mercy Me! So EVEN IF this continues awhile longer & EVEN IF the Lord calls some people HOME now sooner than later & EVEN IF I have to stay in the house (not my cup of tea!) and keep decluttering with this extra time away from my more enjoyable weekly happenings like Adult Ballet on Mondays & Proverbs Bible Study with my gals on Tuesdays & all the other gatherings I was really looking fwd to this week, I have the ASSURANCE that GOD IS IN CONTROL & HE’S GOT THIS COVERED! So Pam stop your fretting, stop your anxiety & LOOK to your Savior & be thanking him EVERY Morning for a New Day in HIM, Controlled by Him & Blessed by HIM, to God be the Glory Great things He has Done…and is still doing!
Aaron, your comments are spot on and convicting. And ending my time in The Everyday Prayer singing My Eternal King was a bless.
I found your comment very liberating, brother Aaron!