21 April 2020
What do we do when the pressures are overwhelming; when the situation is totally outside our control; when the future looks very bleak? A very good piece of advice is to remember in the darkness what we have learned in the light… in other words, do not let the things we cannot comprehend, rob us of the things about which we are certain.
One of my favourite Bible stories – of Daniel’s three friends in Babylon – perfectly illustrates this principle. These young men, exiled and many miles from home, were under intense pressure to conform to an order from Nebuchadnezzar, the emperor. He wanted them to bow and worship a golden image (a statue) he had made, forcefully emphasising his oppressive power and his reach: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused. Their response is a brilliant example of how to think and act in difficult and trying circumstances. Here’s the narrative:
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? Now 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?”
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 3:14-18)
This wonderful Bible story has some lessons for us when we are facing anxiety, loss, uncertainty and dark days:
- Firstly, the three friends kept their values intact – they continued to serve and obey the God of heaven: “we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (verse 18).
- Secondly, they had a profound faith in God’s ability to save them from their imminent danger: “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it” (verse 17).
- Thirdly, they had confidence that God would save them in their life-threatening trial: “he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand” (verse 17).
- Fourthly, and perhaps most importantly, they were resolved to maintain their trust in God, regardless of the outcome: “But even if he does not, we want you to know…” (verse 18).
So how should we respond to our circumstances, especially when everything is so difficult and outside our control? Putting it simply – we turn to God and place our confidence in him. Author and social critic, Os Guinness states in his book Doubt that, “faith may not know why, but it knows why it trusts God who knows why.” This explains the thinking behind Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s words: “But even if he does not, we want you to know…”
The essential takeaway is that we believe in God despite our circumstances, not because of them. Since God’s love for us is unconditional, our trust in him should be unconditional too. We are certain that God knows best, that he is on his throne and there is no one else to fully rely on:
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you” (Psalm 73:25).
In these extraordinary times, I am praying for my friends, my church family, my own family and for myself, that we would also entrust ourselves to God, just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did over 2500 years ago.
Canadian author and psychiatrist, John White, considered faith like that and wrote, “To follow God fully means taking steps along the perilous pathway of trust, roped to the safest guide in the universe.” As followers of Jesus, that’s where we are right now – roped to the safest guide in the universe!
Henry Craig
