Faith, Not Fear

I grew up on southern gospel music, in the day when a song about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego proclaimed in lively tones, “They wouldn’t bend, they wouldn’t bow, they wouldn’t burn!”

As Pastor Mark pointed out, though, the outcome could have been different. They entered the fire with no “fire insurance” to guarantee their protection. They had God, who guarantees His Presence and His sufficiency, who promises to bring good out of everything… but doesn’t promise to conform to our idea of deliverance. That’s why 18 theology (Dan. 3:18) requires faith, and stretches even that! It says “But if not… I still will not bow.”

Think about bowing. When you bow, your head is lowered. Your shoulders droop. Your spine bends. Your eyes drop to the ground. You are waving the white flag before something or someone looming above you, holding power over you.

Nebuchadnezzar is long gone. But maybe your Nebuchadnezzar is another person - or a chaotic situation, an ongoing struggle, a memory, an illness, a failure or sin, a fear… If you identify such a tyrant in your life today, look at the position of your heart. Are you standing or bowing before it? Intimidated or unmoved? Has your gaze dropped from the heavens to the ground in front of you? Has the strength gone out of your spine?

18 theology says God is the only One deserving of the bent knee. The only One worthy of our surrender and worship. God’s Word urges us:

“Do not fear what [the people] fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary” (Is. 8:12-14 NIV),

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then…” (Eph. 6:13-14 NIV). With a stiff backbone. With a clear and steady gaze. With an unbent knee and unbowed heart.

Worshipping God alone.

The Message of the Mirror

Christian wipes the fog from the bathroom mirror and peers anxiously at the face before him. It’s scowling. He hates to see that. Why can’t people around him be more positive? Inspecting further, he notes with alarm that an enormous zit of pride has swelled up from his heart – definitely needs attention. And those hurt feelings nearby can’t be ignored much longer- already they’re cracked and bleeding.

Definitely a work in progress, he concludes, turning away from the mirror. Must deal with it all somehow, sometime. The unappealing image fades quicker than the condensation on the mirror as Christian grabs his car keys and heads into the day. He’s already oblivious to the image of Christ he’s presenting. He’s procrastinating – again – the life improvements that need to be made, and hurting himself and the Kingdom and His Lord.

His brother Believer wipes the fog from his bathroom mirror and peers anxiously at the face before him. It’s hard to believe, but if what the Word told him is true, he’s looking at the image of God. Not perfect, mind you, but forgiven of sin and continually being remade in Christ’s likeness, going from strength to strength, and glory to glory (Ps. 84:7, 2 Cor. 3:18). He’s looking at one of the King’s own children. An heir to all that is Christ’s. Eternally saved, incredibly rich, awesomely privileged!

Wow, I need a pinch to convince myself it’s real, he thinks as he turns away from the mirror. Must spend some time trying to take that all in. But the appealing image fades faster than the condensation on the mirror as Believer grabs his car keys and heads into the day. He goes away forgetting. And so he has no defense against the Accuser who belittles him and the doubts that haunt him and the flaws and failures that keep cropping up. As the day wears on, he feels increasingly defeated and alone. And no one around him glimpses the loving, life-transforming God in whose image Believer is made.

Two men; two mirrors. Both forgot what they saw there, forgot the flaws that needed tended and the glorious reality of His image. And so both missed personal blessing, opportunity to please the Father, and effective Kingdom service.

Are we who we say we are? Spending time with Christ and His word offers us an honest, Spirit-guided look at ourselves. We see flaws that are humbling; we also see Christ’s transforming love. Things that need addressed and things that need celebrated. But we’ve got to act on what we see. What do we do with what He shows us? Do we live in His image 24/7, remembering who and Whose we are? Do we let Him deal with the flaws and continually remake us into His likeness?

“If you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law – the law that sets you free – and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it” (James 1:25 NLT).

The Hershey Prayer

Christmas candies, heaped high in an elegant bowl under crackling cellophane, gleamed in their silver and copper wrappers. This gift from our friends looked rich… in every way.

The taste-testing began. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, butternut… but what were those two-toned delicacies? Dave took a bite.

“Peanut butter and chocolate,” he reported. “Like a Reece Cup.”

Reece Cup! Nature’s most nearly perfect food! Epicurean bliss in a brown and orange wrapper! The wedding of two flavors that were always meant to be together!

But not to be duplicated, my own taste-testing verified. Our Christmas candies were fancy-schmancy, but there was no imitating the real thing.

The first two sermons we’ve heard this New Year, taken together, also offer a winning combination. An unbeatable, inimitable marriage of ingredients and flavors: prayer and revolution.

But step aside, Hershey. This specialty can only be manufactured by God – and us. That’s the only combination that can turn out this treat. Prayer is the chocolaty exterior; hidden within are the changes we want to see happen, the flavor we crave in our lives, the internal revolution only God can concoct.

So I challenge you, at the top of the year, to combine the two flavors in a tangible way. Write a prayer to be prayed daily in 2011.

First, sit down with the Lord and talk together about His desires, your desires, His heart, your fears, etc. Then write a prayer – not too long – that expresses the gratitude you often unthinkingly withhold and the praise you forget to express. And deep within the heart of that prayer, ask for help in your areas of weakness, guidance in your lifestyle and decisions… and the specific change God wants to bring about in your mind and heart.

Pray that prayer every day.

I did this at the beginning of 2010, and I’m still not ready to lay that prayer aside. Maybe I’ll just update it. For it’s a good feeling to pray for the things God wants. It’s invigorating to pray for life-change, and to continually re-affirm our cooperation with the Revolutionary who can bring that about. It’s powerful spiritual exercise to pray persistently in the same direction for a whole year. And it’s faith-building to see change happen from the inside out.

Prayer and revolution. A winning combination, a marriage made in heaven, a spiritual delight. Enjoy… all year long!