7-12-21<\/p>\n
We all endure trials in life; and we recently discussed that fact here. Some trials, of course, are more severe than others\u2026 some only seem so, and lesser challenges become bigger obstacles\u2026 and some trials are \u201cblessings in disguise.\u201d<\/p>\n
You have heard that expression, \u201ca blessing in disguise.\u201d Whenever I hear it, I think of the story about Winston Churchill during the London blitz, looking out over a burning city. An aide supposedly said, \u201cPerhaps this is a blessing disguise.\u201d Churchill supposedly harrumphed, \u201cSome blessing. Some disguise.\u201d<\/p>\n
We see through a glass darkly, and cannot always know the larger picture. That is one reason why faith, and prayer, and reliance on God, are so important.<\/p>\n
These days, I am persuaded, our trials are worse than ever, at least unique at this point in history. I refer to our national trials and trauma \u2013 the challenges we face in society, the breakdown of morals and manners, standards and traditions; betrayal by institutions and destructiveness by groups and individuals.<\/p>\n
And I also refer to personal trials. How can I know the trials outside my circle of friends and correspondents? Because our society\u2019s crises are causing<\/em> personal crises. Many of our trials, yours and mine, in the areas of friends, family, finances, security, and confidence flow from the dissolution of our culture. Addiction, abuse, violence, crime, broken relationships, abortion\u2026 these are trials we endure in the larger realms of our lives, and the close-up spheres of our existence.<\/p>\n Let us think of one of the most iconic examples of a trial, so famous that it has entered the language, \u201cgoing through the fiery furnace.\u201d<\/p>\n In the Book of Daniel, chapter 3, is the account of Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, who constructed a golden idol and commanded that all bow down before it. And anyone who refused would be executed, thrown into a blazing furnace. The king was told that three officials, named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refused to worship the golden statue.<\/p>\n They were brought before the king and explained that they worshiped only the God of the Bible, and would not bow down to an idol. Nebuchadnezzar commanded that they be thrown into the fiery furnace, heated seven times hotter than normal. It was so hot that, it was written, the jailers handling them died of the heat. When the king was able look into the furnace, however, he saw the three walking around, not bent, not bowed, not burned. And he saw a fourth figure with them \u2013 he said looking \u201clike a son of God.\u201d<\/p>\n Who was the fourth man? Not an angel; not a Holy Fireman except by metaphor. Bible scholars regard the Fourth Man as the pre-incarnate Jesus, as He did appear at times through the Old Testament.<\/p>\n This is a lesson for us today.<\/p>\n Unlike some other nuanced views, this is what I take away: \u201cThough I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…\u201d Notice again that God doesn\u2019t push us toward peaceful detours. But He promises to be with us\u2026 so we can \u201cfear no evil.\u201d<\/p>\n The rotten world-system today is our King Nebuchadnezzar. Our crises \u2013 and they are real \u2013 are our personal fiery furnaces. Are you thinking of a family problem, or at the other extreme, society\u2019s mess? Do you grieve over a friend, the school board, the White House, everything in between? Do not compromise, do not fear, do not bend, do not bow\u2026<\/p>\n \u2026 and you will not burn. Look for that Fourth Man. He is with you.<\/p>\n + + +<\/p>\n One of my favorite actors, Charles Laughton, once appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and dramatically recited, from memory, the story of the Fourth Man. Please watch! (The only mistake was, he called it the fourth chapter of Daniel instead of the third.) By the way, can you imagine a Hollywood star, today, being invited on prime-time TV to recite a chapter from the Bible? Times HAVE changed.<\/p>\n Click: Charles Laughton Shares the Story of the Fiery Furnace<\/a>
\n* There will be trials, always; don\u2019t kid yourself.
\n* Never compromise with the \u201cworld system.\u201d We are surrounded by idols these days. Don\u2019t be seduced; don\u2019t compromise; do not lose faith.
\n* Don\u2019t bend; don\u2019t bow; and you will not be burnt.
\n* If God wanted to spare those three men, He could have extinguished the fire. He could have made the furnace crumble. He could have struck down the king and the jailers.
\n* God had them go through the trial, and then save them, as a lesson in Faith. For us.
\n* Jesus is with us in trials. He does not want us to pray that \u201clife\u201d never happens\u2026 but to trust Him when \u201clife happens.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\n