Heart Tracks - Images

"Our God is able to deliver us.....But if not......" Daniel 13:17,18....."If you are facing a furnace, make provision for the 'if not.' If you are not healed, if the dear one is taken, if that friend fails you, be faithful anyway." Vance Havner

The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is well known to most who have spent any time in the Bible. They were three Jews, taken to Babylon as part of the great captivity after being conquered by Babylon's King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful ruler on earth, and in his pride, had constructed a 90 ft tall statue of himself, and demanded that all should bow and worship his image. All did, except for the three Jews. In response, the king ordered them thrown into a furnace to be burned to death. They did not, and then spoke those powerful words above. They proclaimed a steadfast trust in Him, believing He would deliver them. Yet, even more powerful are their words to follow; they would trust Him and be faithful even if He did not. They made provision for the "but if not," and if we are to be a people of faith, so must we. So I end the first part of this writing with the question of have we made provision? If we have not, then we may be sure that we will stagger, even fall, if in response to our faith, He does not. He calls us to a faith that trusts, obeys, and rests, even when He does not respond as we desire. Such faith trusts in His goodness, and believes that He will do right and well for those He loves, even when our circumstances scream it is not so.

There is also a deeper teaching in this passage, and its one Vance Havner helps me see. I hope he helps you as well...He points to that image constructed by Nebuchadnezzar. Most stop at just seeing it as an idol. We tend to focus on idols being things, or even people. We don't think much about them being attitudes, mindsets, or thoughts. Or what the Bible calls a stronghold. Spiritual strongholds are lies that we believe to be truth, and the enemy uses them to operate against us out of our own minds and thoughts. We get what it is to "bow down" to idols like money, success, pleasure, relationships, possessions, and comfort. Yet we have let "images" control us, even block out the face of the Father in our lives. Havner writes of the power of images like fear, discouragement, and doubt in and over our lives. When any or all of them have the upper hand with us, we are bowing down to them. We may despise them, hate them, but nevertheless, they draw our hearts from Him. They take our eyes from Him. In the places where they prevail, they "own" us, and in those places, He doesn't reign. They do. They are false images and they have no power against Him, except we have believed that they do. We believe the lie that they, and the things or people they represent have more power than Him. They, not He, reign in our lives. Which ones reign in ours?

Can we confess the presence of these images before us? Can we admit to the captivity they hold us in? Everyone of us will experience a "but if not" time. How we respond will determine whether the power of these images is either broken, or grows. If, like the three, will confess our trust in Him, a "furnace" will follow. The trust will be tested, but also like the three, He will be in it with us....and He will bring us out. And the image(s) will fall, while we remain standing.....with Him.

Blessings,
Pastor O