The Misnamed Trio

And suddenly, in a flash, I could relate to the three men in the fiery furnace. 

You probably know them as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, though their mother's refer to them as Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, but almost nobody knows that now. 

Here is what I used to think: King Nebuchadnezzar--let's call him Rupert--crafted an idol of himself and demanded everyone bow down to worship it.  The Misnamed Trio refused, because they only bow down to God. Rupert threw them into a furnace that burned so hot, the guards who threw them in died (my Sunday school teacher's always emphasized that).  But suddenly, Rupert saw FOUR people in the furnace, and one was super shiny.  He told the men to exit the furnace and realized they served the real God because even their eyebrows were still in tact.

If you have ever run the propane too long before starting the barbecue, you know how easy it is to lose your eyebrows.

I always thought this meant I should never bow down to a big golden statue.  And if someone tried to throw me into a furnace, God wouldn't let me die.

Then - something changed.  Like a crack of lightening (in the middle of a prayer meeting) I related to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 

These were three guys who loved Jesus.  Then Rupert, the most powerful worldly force around, (Daniel 2:26-40) tells them to worship his statue.  They refuse.  They are persecuted.  God shows up.  Amazing.

I ask myself; what is Rupert telling me to worship above all else?  What does the world say I should dedicate the majority of my time and attention to?  

Myself.  

And I do.

I am a proud person.  I was afraid of praying for humility for a long time because God would probably make me look like a fool.  I couldn't risk what the lover of my soul might do to me if I became vulnerable like that.

Then I talked to Pastor Bonnie, who is so wise.  Humility, she said, is realizing it is not all about you.

Game changer. 

I can absolutely live a life that is not all about me.  I think.

I reject Rupert's plans for my time and attention.  I'm going to mess up.  Now you know and that could be good or bad.  Though since it isn't all about me, you may not even consider it once the post is over.

It is going to be rough, but God will show up.  And I will come out of this with my eyebrows fully intact.

Please Jesus, let me keep my eyebrows.

Battle Cry

Only a fool walks into battle without a weapon.

A contemporary soldier brings a gun.

A knight brings his sword.

A member of Star Fleet brings his phaser.

A warrior princess?

I bring truth.

The world tells me I'm ugly.

"The King is enthralled by my beauty" (Pslams 45:11)

Truth: I am beautiful.

The world tells me I'm not good enough.

"If the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have."  (2 Corinthians 8:12)

Truth: my best is good enough.

The world tells me I am alone.

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20b)

Truth: Jesus is always there-forever.

The world tells me God doesn't care.

"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior; who daily bears our burdens." (Psalms 68:19)

Truth: God carries my pain every day.  It matters to him.

The world tells me I will not succeed.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord,  'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

Truth: God's got this under control.

Truth is a vast cavern of untapped power pressing outward, itching to be used in a fight.  It is a gun with endless ammunition, a sword that never dulls, a phaser that never malfunctions.

Truth will be my battle cry.  In the midst of a fight, surrounded by bullets and blades, I will cling to Jesus and scream the truth he whispers in my ear.

Truth: "But thanks be to God!  He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Psalms 15:57)

The battle is already won.

We are victorious.