Blog
Monday, March 15, 2021
“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” —Daniel 3:17-18
Math was never my favorite subject in school. I always gravitated to history and literature, to stories about people. The layers of human character and identity fascinated me. Learning about interactions between people and groups was endlessly compelling. (I never got far enough along in math to encounter the wonder and creativity that I’m sure exists in that subject, too.)
And yet despite those preferences there’s a part of me that wants God to be more like a math equation and less like a person, less like a character with agency and freedom. I want to know with certainty that if X happens, God will do Y. But that’s not how it works.
When the nation of Israel was conquered and many of its people taken into exile in Babylon, individual men and women with agency and freedom were forced to make choices within new constraints and in the face of new threats. The king of Babylon set up a golden image—an idol—and commanded that all people worship it. Three faithful Jews—members of the nation of Israel—refused to do so, knowing that their God had commanded them not to worship “other gods.” These three had been given significant responsibilities in the Babylonian Empire, but this did not exempt them from the king’s order. When they persisted in refusing to disobey God, the king ordered that they be burned to death.
Their response—today’s verses—is a model of faith in God. They believe that God will rescue them. But they also recognize that God is not a math equation. We can be sure of God’s faithfulness, but not sure how that faithfulness will play out in a specific situation. There are times when people of faith aren’t given what they want, and times when God doesn’t seem to come through. But those who have a relationship with God trust him even when they do not get what they want—or even get what it seems obvious that they need. Commitment to God means committing to his true way even when we can’t see the immediate payoff in our own lives. Faith is proved when we follow him into the darkness even when we can’t see the light on the other side.
These three faithful men were rescued from the fire. But even if they had not been, they would have rested secure in their trust in God’s way. This is faith in the living God.
Friday, March 12, 2021
Today’s reflection is written by Deacon Karen Katamay.
“Since my mother bore me you have been my God.” —Psalm 22:10
God is the one who created us and loves us, even when we are unaware of him. I have been fortunate to grow up in a Christian family so I can say with confidence that God has been there for me from Day One. But what if that is not the case for you? Or what if your life has been filled with hardships and it is hard to believe that a loving and ever-present God exists amidst all your suffering or the suffering in the world?
God does not exist to protect us from all suffering. Indeed, he allowed his own son to suffer and die on the cross for us. Instead, what we can learn from the example of Jesus is that God is always with us, when times are good and when we are suffering. “God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). And better yet, God promises us a time when there will be no more suffering and we will be with him: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain…” (Revelation 21:4).
So wherever you are on your spiritual journey, whether you are just learning about God, or are close to God, or even have doubts about God, you can take comfort in knowing that God is always there for you, from Day One until eternity!
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. — 1 John 4:16
God’s greatest demonstration of love is seen through Jesus’ death on the cross. But even when we understand and acknowledge just how costly that was for Jesus, we are always susceptible to taking it for granted or making it a purely intellectual experience: giving thanks for what was done through Jesus’ death and resurrection, repenting, and asking for forgiveness becomes just another thing on the list of items to take care of each day.
John is calling us to take this more seriously than that. “Abide” means to “dwell,” “remain,” or “make one’s home.” John is pointing out that God’s love can’t remain a purely intellectual experience because this love is close and personal. This love is expressed first through Jesus and then through Jesus’ followers. Theologian Gary Burge suggests that when we exhibit love to others we step into God’s presence and this causes “the reality of God [to press] itself into our lives.”
Today, let’s seek out opportunities to show love and then reflect on God’s presence in those moments.
