Emmanuel Day 3

Emmanuel, God with us THROUGH the…

“They saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected,

and the smell of fire was not on them.”

Daniel 3:27

“So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatsoever was found on him, because he believed in His God.”

Daniel 6:23

 

I’m sure most will already know the stories of these guys, but as a quick recap, (and if you don’t know their full stories you should definitely do a deep dive into the book of Daniel because they’re AMAZING!) Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel were Hebrews boys who were taken as captives from their homeland to the land of Babylon. Somewhat of a long story cut extremely short, when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down and worship his giant gold statue, king Nebuchadnezzar had them thrown into a fiery furnace. Daniel’s most well-known moment happened when he was thrown into a lion’s den by king Darius, for continuing to pray regardless of a mandate not to. (How’s that for a quick summary!) Though none of these guys were harmed physically in their big trials, they still had to go through the nervous moments of facing fire and lions, and having no idea what the ultimate outcome of their fate would be.

Sometimes we hear people say the phrase, “I’m just trying to get through the holidays.” When we encounter difficult moments like these guys did, our prayers are usually those begging to be saved FROM trials, OUT of tribulations, and AWAY from troubles, and of course there are times in our lives that God does just that. But there are also times where God chooses, for reasons beyond our understanding in the moment, to instead help us THROUGH the troubles we’re in so that He can increase faith, strengthen souls, and ultimately bring His glory and salvation to the world around us.

As I read Daniel 3 and 6, what stands out to me about these guys and their stories is their insistence to have faith in God and His sovereign goodness, regardless of what paths He chose for them. When Daniel knew the decree against prayer had been made, God’s Word tells us that he still knelt down to pray and give God thanks, as was his daily custom. When warned of being thrown into the fiery furnace, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego declared their trust in God’s ability to save them, but they also bravely declared their faith in God for their outcome, regardless of what it would be.

“If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

Daniel 3:17-18

None of them held God to a standard of doing what they wanted Him to do, what they thought He should do, or even what they hoped He would do. They knew God had the power to save, but they also trusted Him to work in the way He thought best for the plans that He desired to accomplish within their lives. They knew salvation would come, whether on earth or heaven, and they trusted that the times of their lives were in the hands of God. Maybe the greatest element of faith we see in their stories was the choice to not grasp desperately at their own fates, but instead to lift their hands in surrender to God. Even in the face of the unknown, they trusted God with the how, the when, the why, and the way.

Emmanuel isn’t just “God with us” to deliver us how we want Him to deliver us. God with us is still GOD with us. He is our God whose ways are higher and who sees all things in a way that our finite understanding can’t. There are times, moments, and seasons where we long to be delivered from, out of, and away from. But when God chooses instead to walk THROUGH the fire with us, or to keep us in the lion’s den THROUGH the night, we can trust that He is good, has a good plan, and is working all things together for good in our lives. Having a relationship with Emmanuel, who created the heavens and earth means that we can trust His sovereign details to be at work in our lives as well. He is a glorious Architect who knows exactly what He’s trying to accomplish, and I pray the lives of these men would ignite within us hearts of faith that are willing to walk through fire and fierceness with Him. These guys had no idea how everything would ultimately turn out, and yet they chose to firmly believe that Emmanuel would be with them every step of the way in whatever paths He placed before them.

I know there are some who are just trying to get through the holidays, but today I feel led to ask, what if it’s in the “through” that God wants to reveal Himself to be your mighty Emmanuel, your Defender who is with you; strong enough, wise enough, and good enough to be all you need Him to be? This doesn’t mean that God won’t deliver and save you out of your trials, but can we also be willing to have the faith to walk through the fiery and fierce storms with Him as well?

Honestly, without Emmanuel choosing to be with them through their fires and fierce nights, would the stories of their lives really be well known? What if God had struck down king Nebuchadnezzar the moment he came against these boys, or closed the furnace so no one could get in, or kicked down the criticizers before they even had time to bring Daniel’s name before the throne of king Darius? They would still be great stories, but maybe not too familiar to us, and definitely not stories for us to cling to through times of ongoing trials. Think of what we would be missing without the stories of God saving the souls of a depraved nation twice by radically reaching the hearts of two pagan kings.

What if God is trying to give you a greater story by what He’s allowing you to walk through? What would be missing if He just quickly saved you out of your trial rather than being Emmanuel, God with you through your trial? What if friends, family members, or nations get saved because of what they’re watching you go through? Where do we draw the line at what’s worth it or not? Do we want to be the ones who decide what’s too much, what we can take or can’t take? Or do we instead want to trust the God who made us, formed us, and knows every day He’s created for us? If we choose to trust Him wholly, what good could come from it, and if we choose not to trust Him wholly, what good could be missing in the lives of those around us? What miracles could happen? How could Emmanuel be glorified? How could people be encouraged by your perseverance? And beyond all of this earthly truth, what type of glorious rewards do you think were waiting for these guys in heaven for their faith, trust, hope, perseverance, dedication? And what heavenly rewards could be waiting for us at the end of our earthly journey as well?

Regarding heaven, Romans 8 reminds us…

“For I consider [from the standpoint of faith] that the sufferings of this present life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to be

revealed to us and in us.”

Romans 8:18 (AMP)

Precious friend can I encourage you today to surrender yourself anew and afresh to God? Maybe you’ve been feeling as though you are buried under the weight of a trial. Please intentionally remember today that God sees and knows. He will save and deliver in His time and His way. My prayer is that we would choose once again today to pray and trust God regardless of the trials He may walk us through. Our stories will always have great endings, because God is with us, will be with us, and will continue to be with us. Our Emmanuel is not just with us in the “now,” He’s with us in the “through.”

Emmanuel; with us IS GOD