Category Archives: Worship

Refresh & Restore — November 12, 2020

1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

Daniel 6:1-5

10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

Daniel 6:10

Greetings, Sojourner!

Well, just when we thought 2020 could not get any stranger, we decided to hold an election. The United States is split, and divisiveness seems to be at an all time high. But, to quote my friend and fellow teacher Chuck Crouch, “The world is not falling apart; it’s falling into place.”[1] How can that be amid things seeming to be in such disarray? Oddly, our answer comes from King Nebuchadnezzar after God finally got his attention:

“…I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored Him who lives forever, for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His Kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and He does according to His will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His hand or say to Him, ‘What have you done?’”

Daniel 4:34a-35

In the first devotion in this series, we saw how terrible and wicked Nebuchadnezzar could be. Then, in the second installment, we saw how irrational and tyrannical he could be. And, last week, we saw the full extent of his desire for power and recognition as he demanded worship and threatened death to everyone who did not bow to him. But – and this is especially important – the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar is gone and has been for millennia. In fact, his son Belshazzar who took over from him (Daniel 5) is gone, too. The same can be said for so many kingdoms. But there is a King of kings with a Kingdom that will not and cannot be shaken (Colossians 1:13; Hebrews 12:28)!

Ultimately, this is the biggest lesson to be learned from Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They were of God’s chosen nation, yet that earthly kingdom was allowed to be taken over. They were given places of esteem and renown within arguably the greatest and most powerful kingdom of its time. But their allegiance was to a greater Kingdom. When the laws of the land contradicted the Law of God there was no question as to where their obedience would lie. They faced certain death with a faith stronger than the powers-that-be could or would ever understand. Even though they lived thousands of years before Jim Elliot, they embodied the message he proclaimed with his life and these words: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

In today’s passage, we do not see Daniel the youth, but, rather, we see Daniel as an older, seasoned man. He has served his Lord continually and served under three kings and two major world powers – Babylon and Media-Persia. By all accounts it seems as if everything had fallen into place for Daniel; at least that is the way I have always heard his situation portrayed. But was he any less an exile or eunuch because he had renown and a high-profile job? The world had certainly not forgotten that he was “one of the exiles from Judah” (Daniel 6:13). No, Daniel was a servant of the Most High God throughout his life, and the kingdom of the world would continually hold that against him.

So often, we see Daniel and his companions characterized as heroes because of their survival, but God is the hero of their life stories. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were not naturally flame retardant, and Daniel was not immune to the teeth and claws of ferocious lions. God caused the flames not to burn. God shut the mouths of the lions. What did these guys do, then, that causes us to still speak of them all these thousands of years later?

They prayed to their God.

They worshiped their Lord.

If we are honest with ourselves, their only remotely heroic acts – the actions that are heralded as examples of civil disobedience and contending for the faith – are the actions that we find the most mundane and practice the least in our walk with the Lord. It must also be noted that these acts of prayer and worship were not done in the public square. They were not done in grandiose gestures that draw attention to movements or positions or any such thing. Their prayer and worship took place in their private lives – just between them and the Lord. The only reason that we have even heard about it is because one’s personal relationship with the Lord is the only thing that fuels courage in the face of death – the only thing that straightens the backs of Christ-followers when an emperor demands bowed heads and knees.

For Daniel, the situation was different than we probably realize. It is easy to look at him as a “Bible hero”. That gives him a sense of other-ness and allows us to excuse our lack of faithfulness. Daniel was not different. He had to feel the tension to give in just this once. You see, Daniel was a legit disciple; his personal worship included study of the Word, specifically the writings/prophesies of Jeremiah. And it was through this studying that he learned that the end of their exile was coming to an end (Daniel 9:2). That means that this trial hit differently. He had lost so much over the years in exile, and, now, as an old man he faced the chance of losing his life when he was so close to being released and going home.

I cannot imagine what went on in his heart. I would like to believe that he struggled like I do. I know that is selfish of me, but I think of how much I struggle to weigh the benefit of being and ministering where God has planted me against the difficulties of actually being in those situations. For Daniel, the years of constant prayer and continued faithfulness from God to him outweighed the possibility of death. The life that God had given him (John 14:6) and the hope for a future (Jeremiah 29:11) that came from his faith in the Lord kept him faithful even when times appeared dark. So, rather than giving up or giving in, Daniel “got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously” (Daniel 6:10; cf. Daniel 2:23, Daniel 9:3-19, Psalm 138:2, 1 Kings 8:48).

That continued faithfulness had an impact on those around Daniel, too. Of course, many of those people – those belonging to the kingdom of darkness and vying for a temporary earthly position – wanted him dead, but Darius wanted him to live. Do not misunderstand me here. It was Darius’ worldly foolishness that put Daniel in this situation. But God showed Darius something through the witness of Daniel.

Most of us have much more in common with Darius than we do with Daniel. Darius knew he had messed up and tried his hardest to undo the situation himself. “…[H]e labored till the sun went down to rescue him” (Daniel 6:14b). But, truth be told, Darius made a terrible Savior. It is a good thing that Daniel did not need Darius to save him. No, Darius tried all that he could but was unable to come up with a plan to save Daniel. At his wits end – at his most hopeless, he saw the hope that Daniel had and made an amazing proclamation: “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you” (Daniel 6:16)! Daniel’s continual service and faith in God was evident. If someone were to call upon the God we serve continually, would King Jesus be the one to respond or would we be at the mercy of the mute idols that receive our time and worship (Habakkuk 2:18, 1 Corinthians 12:2)?

With Darius’ plea for help from Daniel’s God, Daniel was lowered into the pit where ferocious and hungry lions were waiting to devour him. A stone was laid over the entrance of the lions’ den. And Darius was forced to wait until morning to find out if Daniel had been delivered or devoured.

As I said earlier, it is a good thing that Daniel did not need to rely on Darius as his Savior.

I find this part more comforting as an adult. The lions’ den terrified me as a child, even though I knew Daniel would walk out the other side unscathed. Now, I know that there was a stone rolled over a door hundreds of years after Daniel and the lions’ den. That stone covered the tomb of a lion, and Satan and his earthly forces – just like those who plotted Daniel’s demise – relished in the excitement that they had shut the mouth of that lion. But that lion – the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, our God and Savior Jesus Christ – would walk out of the tomb of His own accord! And it is because of Him that Darius – and all who put their hope and faith in Him – could rejoice like John in his vision of heaven:

“And one of the elders said to me, ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered….’ And…I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain….”

Revelation 5:5-6

It is that Lion – “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) – who gave Daniel the rescue that he so desperately needed and can rescue us as well.

When the stone was rolled away from the lion’s den, Darius asked (Daniel 6:20) a very important question: “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions”? God had, of course, shut the lions’ mouths (Daniel 6:22, Hebrews 11:33). And His power to save is still available today.

I do not know what difficulties you face. I know that many people are afraid of the way things in this world are heading. But God is still on His throne. The question for us is: where are we? Are we on our knees like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah? Are we continually serving the God we claim to trust? The good news for us is that He is willing to accept us should we call out to Him (Romans 10:9-10, 13).

I would like to leave you with a song this week. This was written nearly 500 years ago by Martin Luther, and I think it would do us well to have this song in our hearts today:

“And tho’ this world, with devil’s filled / Should threaten to undo us / We will not fear, for God hath willed / His truth to triumph through us / The Prince of Darkness grim / We tremble not for him / His rage we can endure / For lo, his doom is sure / One little word can fell him.”[2]

Amen.

[1] After telling Chuck that I wanted to quote him for this week’s Refresh & Restore, he quickly told me that he felt that he had gotten that thought from a Christian song and did not want to take credit away from the original author. Ye olde Google told me that the original quote comes from the song “Just Be Held” by Casting Crowns. So, listen to Chuck, and click the link if you would like to listen to the song.

[2] Martin Luther, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”

Songs for Sunday — November 8, 2020

What a week this has been!

If you are looking for nonstop surprises, 2020 does not disappoint – or it does absolutely disappoint! So, if you would like a reprieve from the counting of votes, let us look to the One we can always count on.

Psalm 130 is fitting for times such as this because it illustrates how we should reach out from the depths of uncertainty and despair to the Lord as our only hope.

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!”

Psalm 130:1-2

The psalmist is crying out, begging God to hear his cries for mercy. It is good to be reminded that – whatever our desperate situation – there is a God in heaven who hears and rescues (1 Samuel 17:46, Daniel 2:28).

“If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.”

Psalm 130:3-4

If we are going to cry out to God, it is important that we understand the reality of our sin (Romans 3:23, 6:23). We need a Savior before we need rescuing from whatever dire earthly situation. Understanding our need for a Savior leads us to rest and relish in the joy of forgiveness! Knowing that King Jesus would be absolutely righteous to condemn us to hell but chose to love us and give Himself for us drives us to our knees in worship and prayer rather than trembling in fear (Ephesians 5:25, 2 Thessalonians 2:16, 2 Timothy 1:7).

“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in His Word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.”

Psalm 130:5-6

I have never been a night watchmen, but I am a perpetual sophomore. This, in my mind, is similar to the way that kids look toward the final bell during the last month of school. They feel the relief and rest of summer like the glow of the sun playing on the edge of the horizon. They watch the time, some knowing down to the second how long it is until the bell.

For us, we wait on Him with that same fervency and desire.

We wait on Him with the same pregnant joy of an expectant mother – the joy of motherhood outweighing the discomfort of the last trimester.

We wait with that same hope of relief and joy that comes from feeling complete.

We can hope in His Word. We can hope in His presence. We can hope in His forgiveness. We can hope because He does not disappoint.

And that’s what we are singing about this Sunday – the never stopping, never giving up, always and forever love that the Father has for us and His gift of love and hope in giving His only Son for us (John 3:16, Romans 5:8).

Here are our songs:

I hope to see you with us, whether you gather in person, in the parking lot via speaker, or on Facebook or YouTube live!

If gathering in person, please remember that masks are recommended and that we need to remain vigilant in our social distancing measures. Continue to pray for those who are sick – not just our members but all those around the world.

Refresh & Restore — November 5, 2020

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Daniel 3:13-18 ESV

Greetings, Sojourner!

I am writing this on Sunday, November 1. I had originally planned to wait until Wednesday to write this week’s devotion since the election is Tuesday. Somehow, in my mind, I felt like this would be more relevant having all the context that making it through November 3 would give. But God’s Word is always relevant for all our circumstances!

My son, Xander, unknowingly convinced me to go ahead and write this today. After church, I always ask him what he learned about in Sunday School because I love to hear the way he phrases things. He has this cool mixture of excitedness and nonchalant fact in the way that he retells the lesson. Here is the gist of today’s:

“There were three friends who didn’t want to pray for the big statue. And the king threw them in the fire oven. But – guess what – they didn’t burn up because God send…there was four guys in there…an angel…and the fire…it didn’t work!”

Oh, to get to go back and hear the amazing tales of God’s faithfulness for the first time! I got to see the joy on his face when I was able to tell him that this was true and not merely a story! I got to see the delight in his eyes when he found out that God can do more than what comic books heroes or movies can try to point to. So, I can say with full assurance that whatever November 3 has held – whether we now be in World War III or are having a casual American Thursday – the God of Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael is still bigger and still sovereignly seated on His throne.

For the past few weeks, we have been looking at the examples of these four young men as they were exiled in a foreign land. The first week showed us how simple faithfulness is necessary in the easy times before we ever see it worked out in our difficult times. Last week, we saw how that simple, every-day sort of faithfulness is expressed once the hard times begin. But this week is something else entirely!

I can remember hearing this story as a kid. Like Xander, I was fascinated with the fire that “didn’t work” and the fourth presence there in the furnace with them. And, now, as an adult I am finding more hope than fascination. It is amazing to look at the way these young men grew from beginning to walk out their faith in the Lord into older men who live out that faith on the grand scale that we see in Daniel 3.

I want us to focus on what their response was and what it was not. This all started because they were continuing in their regular practice of faith. Their faith was a normal part of their life, and it continued uninterrupted from before their exile and in the unknown periods of time between Daniel 1-2 and 2-3. In fact, people expected them to practice their faith. What they did not do is fear. They did not stop trusting in the God that they had walked with for so long. They just kept on walking by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7), even when their current situation began to look darker.

King Nebuchadnezzar tried to deny the reality of his nightmare and Daniel’s prophecy (Daniel 2:31-47) by building a giant statue – and in the same plain as the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:2)! In both monuments we see man trying to take the place of God. In the case of Babel, they wanted to be wise and glorious like God. But, in Nebuchadnezzar’s case, he was already wise in his own eyes; he wanted to be worshipped. Nearly everyone bowed the knee. Everyone, that is, except for Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah – because they had bowed the knee to God Most High consistently and continually.[1]

When people fall into idolatry – when they succumb to the pressure of temptation, they are angry at those who do not. Many of the people who were bowing to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue were exiles just like these young men. They were of many “peoples, nations, and languages” (v. 4) and victims of the same brainwashing and persecution that they tried to force on Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Yet these other exiles bowed the knee to the king long before he built the statue. That made it easier to march to the beat of his drum when he struck up the band. And it made them angry to see people not bowing with them.

One would think that the courage to stand in the face of certain doom would be labeled as heroic. But their faith found retaliation instead of renown. Nebuchadnezzar used fear and intimidation to get worship. No doubt those exiles who bowed the knee did it to escape both the fire of the king’s wrath as well as his furnace. Yet our young men silently and faithfully carried on. They bowed their heads and hearts to God and continued as they always had – bowing their knees to God only.

When the king heard about their steadfastness, he had them drug in before him and gathered a large audience. He pulled out all the stops. If he could not get these young men to bow the knee, he would secure his hold over the masses by executing them publicly. He wanted to establish his place as their god and squelch any faithfulness or worship to any god aside from himself.

Imagine yourself in the place of these young men – and there is a time coming where we may not have to imagine (2 Timothy 3:1, 12-13). They were stood in front of a large audience, mocked and berated by the king. He reminded them that they were far from their home and that their livelihood and safety were in his hands. He had the band queued and ready. As soon as the music started, all they had to do is simply bow the knee. He made it sound so easy – so reasonable – so harmless. He asked them what god could rescue them from his hands (v. 15). Little did he know, there is a God in heaven who could rescue body and soul – one way or another (Matthew 10:28).

Their response is recorded in the verses at the beginning of the devotion (vv. 16-18). Look at the way that their response exhibited their faith. First, they let the king know that they did not have to answer to him (v. 16). Then, they declared that their God was “able” to and would deliver them indeed (v. 17). Finally, they let him know that should God choose not to rescue them from the flames they would not bow to the pressure and squander their worship on him or his false gods (v. 18).

That last part is especially key. While this is not a popular view on the subject, God would be no less God if these young men had died in the furnace for their faith. Their fate was sealed by their faith, and, just as they said, they knew God would deliver them one way or another. There are people all over the world, even today, who are martyred for their faith. People see their devotion to Christ and get to see His power through the witness of the faithful. Their faith is not lessened by their deaths. Just as they close their eyes in death as an act of worship, they open them again in heaven, looking on the face of the Savior who died for them and are happy to worship Him forevermore!

Do not hold their lack of execution against Nebuchadnezzar. He was good at being bad. He could not help it that, just as Xander said, his fire did not work! Their faith “quenched the fire” (Hebrews 11:34)! Nebuchadnezzar watched joyfully, expecting to hear screams from the dying and see groans of submission from the audience. He had a front row seat, wanting to see these men die. But much to his surprise, he saw the power of the Lord (vv. 24-25)!

Nebuchadnezzar witnessed all of this with his own eyes. One would think that would be enough to turn his heart – and it looked like it did for a minute (vv. 28-30). But, just as Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah came out unsinged with no smell of smoke (v. 27), Nebuchadnezzar’s view of himself remained unchanged (Daniel 4:27-34). His desire to keep his status and the status quo outweighed his desire to bow the knee to God Most High.

So, I ask you: to whom do you bow the knee – to Jesus or something lesser? I am sure that if Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah could talk to you today they would remind you that “if you confess with your mouth that JESUS is LORD and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9, emphasis added). No matter the beat of the drummer who was elected two days ago – if a decision or consensus has even been reached – Jesus is truly the King of kings and Lord of lords (Philippians 2:9-11), and that is not up for election or debate!

Let me remind you again that what we practice in peace is available to us in persecution. If you are tossed about like a rowboat on the ocean by every unknown fear in times of peace (James 1:6), your whole world will crumble when the rain and floods come (Matthew 7:24-27). But “those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever” (Psalm 125:1)! The kingdom of the Lord “cannot be shaken” and God alone is worthy of our “worship, with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28).

Let us practice what the psalmist wrote in peace so that we are not shaken when things get truly difficult:

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling…. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Psalm 46:1-3, 7

And may our daily worship and devotion begin to mirror the faith of three young exiled eunuchs in the midst of their “fiery trial” (1 Peter 4:12) – “our God whom we serve is able to deliver us” (v. 17).

Xander Harris, illustrator

[1] Many people wonder why Daniel was not part of this narrative and whether or not he bowed the knee. Daniel 2:49 clarified that Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were given authority “over the affairs of the province of Babyon” but Daniel’s responsibilities called for him to remain “at the king’s court”.

Songs for Sunday — November 1, 2020

We have a saying here in the South that we use to describe someone who is – for whatever reason – indescribable. We will say that person is “something else”. That “something else” can be good, or it can be bad.

You could be telling a story about someone’s exploits that seems beyond human abilities and say, “That guy is something else.” Or you could be describing some deplorable action of an individual and be awestruck at how bad their behavior is and say the very same thing.

But let me tell you that our God is truly something else! The Bible word for this is holy. This means that He is set apart, high above all of everything that there is. He has this sense of otherness because there is nothing that can compare with Him.

I think that Isaiah’s encounter with the Lord gives a good picture of just how holy – how “something else” – God truly is:

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of His glory!”
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of Him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and you sin atoned for.”
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

Isaiah 6:1-8 ESV

Isaiah found himself in the presence of God and was overwhelmed by the holiness of God. He was overwhelmed by the sheer glory that he was confronted with – and he was only able to see the tail end of God’s garment. Just being near to God convicted him of his sin. Sheer proximity produced a desire for repentance, worship, and faith. And this is exactly how we should be in the presence of God.

I think that, sometimes, we can forget just how “something else” that Jesus is. But we need to retain that sense of awe. We need to continually look in His Word and see how special He is. We need to be reminded of the “first importance” of the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-5) and have our eyes opened afresh at the splendor of our King. I think Micah gives us a good lens for such a view:

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain His anger forever,
because He delights in steadfast love.
He will again have compassion on us;
He will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.

Micah 7:18-19 ESV

This is what we are singing about Sunday – God’s holiness and majesty on display. We will be reminded that He is truly “something else” and always has, is, and will continue to be forever. We will celebrate Who He is, what He has done, and we will lift our voices to the King of kings and Lord of lords – Jesus Christ!

Here are our songs:

I hope to see you with us, whether you gather in person, in the parking lot via speaker, or on Facebook or YouTube live!

If gathering in person, please remember that masks are recommended and that we need to remain vigilant in our social distancing measures. Continue to pray for those who are sick – not just our members but all those around the world.