The words were spoken by Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
to Nebuchadnezzar when they refused to serve his gods or worship the image of
gold he had set up. I have always loved the “but-if-not” phrase, giving God the
freedom to save them or not. Rescued or not, pulled alive and not even smelling
of smoke or being burnt to a crisp didn’t matter. They were not about to waver.
The other day I was watching a clip posted on Facebook of
a father’s response to his daughter’s tantrum. I don’t know what it was that
she wasn’t getting. She was sat outside the supermarket carpark, on the bonnet
of a car, wailing. The father was sat next to her, eyes rolling in his head. He
didn’t shout at her, or smack her or tell her she was a bad girl. He just
talked, not to her, but to the camera in his phone. He said that if he gave in
it wouldn’t do either of them any good in the long run. He wouldn’t be being a
responsible parent. She wouldn’t be learning essential lessons for the years
ahead. He talked about his own upbringing which wasn’t good. He got shouted at
and smacked. He didn’t want to do that to his daughter. He wasn’t going to
enter into negotiations or bargain with her. He was quite happy to explain why
this or that was better. If she chose the option that wasn’t better she needed
to know the consequences, which were not open for discussion. He told her all
of this, after insisting that she stopped crying and listened. He went on to
say they would go back into the shop if she wanted to, but if she started
crying again, they would just come back out. Was she ready to go back in now?
She nodded.
The preacher this morning was talked about just getting
on with being Christians and to stop with the tantrums. If we didn’t like a
word preached we were not to gather our stuff and storm out of the door. If we
didn’t like the music, or the particular worship leader on today, or the
spelling mistakes in the screen, or the tea or the lack of any heartfelt
welcome – that was not permission granted to leave. We were not immature
toddlers in the faith and tantrums were just not allowed. We need not to pick
at the word and snip here and there to get a comfortable fit. We were the ones
that had to fit ourselves to the word. We were the changing ones – not the
word. I liked that!
He talked about Job and all the troubles Job had to deal
with because God had boasted about him to the enemy. The devil was granted
permission to wreck Job’s life. I have a feeling that now, when God boasts
about a chid of his, and the righteous life they live, the devil says nothing.
The little voice in his head warns him to remember Job and how that turned out.
But Job’s wife was a different kettle of fish. Job didn’t
know about the conversation between God and the devil. Job’s wife didn’t know
either but their reactions were so different.
“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” Job 12:15
“His wife said to him, “Are you still
maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”” Job 2:9
I think of the vows that I made at our
wedding – the “in sickness and in health” bit. For most of us most of the time
it is the “in health” bit that we enjoy. We deal with the “in sickness” in
small doses of man flu and the occasional toothache. Job’s wife’s “in sickness”
was really bad. Following God did not seem to be bringing much blessing.
I’m reminded of my own “in sickness”
issues. Some surprised me in their swiftness and cruelty. Others I knew were
headed my way. I never vowed to stay with my husband while the going was good.
I never said I’d walk away when things got really bad. “But-if-not” – if there
isn’t a complete restoration of all working part – I’m not being given
permission to walk away and find an easier life.
When we walk away, or we fall on our
knees before the golden statue to keep the king happy and ourselves out of the
fiery furnace; when we gather up our stuff and storm out of the church meeting;
when we live with someone’s harmful words echoing in our head: We don’t get to
find the man that looks like the Son of God, walking in the furnace with us.
All the resources I need to meet the challenge – I possess them.
Who wouldn’t rather be in a furnace with
Jesus than in some other safe place where Jesus isn’t there?
A Time to Walk
You never promised
That the path beneath my feet
Would always be level
I just never anticipated the climb
Scrambling for handholds
With my feet slipping
You never promised
That the sky above my head
Would always be blue
I just never anticipated the clouds
Dark and forbidding
With the rain falling
You never promised
That the spirit burning inside
Would never be tested
I just never anticipated the trials
The heat of the fire
With the ashes drifting
I find that I have waited too long
To walk away
You and I are knitted together
Shared laughter and
Shared sorrows
Have woven our hearts
I will look for the
The hand outstretched
To lift
And the sun that
Breaks through the cloud
To shine
And the man
In the furnace
With me
No comments:
Post a Comment