Rejoice in the Lion’s Den! Rejoice in the Fire!
1 Blessed is the man
Who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Psalms 1: 1-6 NKJV
I’m not sure when David wrote this particular psalm. Maybe he wrote it out in the field while watching his sheep, maybe it was while he was singing and playing his harp for King Saul, maybe it was while he was running away from King Saul because he was trying to kill David, or after fighting in a battle, maybe it was while he was king living a lavish, comfortable life. David’s circumstances didn’t stop him from meditating and worshiping God. He learned how valuable it is to meditate day and night on the word of God. Those that do so will be fruitful in their lives. They will have a valuable resource to turn to when they have uncertainties and questions because they have already been meditating on God’s word. Those that don’t will have lives that are withered, blown around by the wind, and squandered. God invites us to gain a foundation in his presence and teachings before the questions and uncertainties come because they will come.
Jesus shared this parable that his disciple Matthew wrote down for us,
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27
Did you know that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego definitly had a firm foundation. Hard times hit them – hard. They were living comfortable lives when their lands were raided and pillaged by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Despite being kidnapped, taken captive, forced to live in a foreign land and learn its’ culture, possibly being turned into eunichs? They did not give up their faith in God. No matter what others thought of them, no matter what was going on around them, they took time to spend with God. I love the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 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. 18 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.”
That’s some big faith! They didn’t wait to start praying when they were facing the firey furnace, they were praying and meditating throughout their entire time of captivity. They already had a strong relationship that comes with spending time with God before things got…hot.
Same with Daniel. Did you know he prayed and praised God three times a day, every day? (Daniel 6:10) I often wonder if he would have been able to survive being thrown into the lion’s den had he not had such a strong relationship with God. I highly doubt it. He didn’t wait to start praying when he was in the lion’s den, he had already been!
Hard times are going to come. Challenging circumstances are going to surprise you. Our relationship with God should not be determined by our circumstances. Our relationship with God has got to be grounded in the firm foundation of his word.
How do we gain big faith? How do we survive being thrown in a furnace unscathed? How do we sleep with lions and live?
Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
I always thought it meant yoke like what you put on an ox and i thought that meant you were trading one heavy burden for another. I also didn’t like thinking of myself as ox-like. (It’s pretty Rooooooode! Seems like an oxymoron to me.) It wasn’t until I heard a pastor explain that it’s not like that at all. Jesus meant his yoke as in his teachings. “Take what I’m teaching you and learn from me…”, He’s saying. He’s inviting us to study, meditate, on what he is saying and teaching so that we will “cast your burden on Jesus for he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). “My teaching is easy and my burden is light.” He must have been joking because His teaching is not easy at all, not when we are so contrary to his teachings. It takes a lot of studying and learning and surrendering to become “better” at following Jesus’ teachings.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1) What does this scripture always remind me of?
IF THE SON HAS SET YOU FREE, THEN YOU ARE FREE INDEED!
(John 8:36)
If we don’t spend time in God’s word, if we don’t meditate on who He is, if we don’t worship his praises, if we don’t ask him to search our hearts, we will never live in the freedom Christ has given us, instead choosing a yoke of slavery to sin, shame, bondage, addiction and all other yucky stuff.
Philippians 4 breaks it down perfectly.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Must be important for him to repeat it with an exclamation) 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. (You’re not alone.) 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (What happens when we do that?) 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(What’s our response?) 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (It’s an antidote to anxiety.)
Ugh! I love this! Do you see it?! Do you see it?!!! It’s a formula. God is giving us a formula for how to overcome anxious thoughts and worries. Isn’t that exciting? Don’t you want the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, to guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus?
What are some of those true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent praiseworthy thoughts?
I’m glad you asked. Here are some truthful labels that you can begin applying to yourself:
TRUTHFUL LABELS (Me, Myself & Lies p 36)
I am a new creation (2 Cor 5:17)
I am forgiven (Eph 1:7-8)
I am gifted with power, love and a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7)
I am chosen to be fruitful (John 15:16)
I am complete (Col 2:9-10)
I am secure (Rom 8:31-39)
I am confident (Phil 1:6)
I am free (Rom 6:18, 8:1)
I am spiritually alive (Eph 2:5)
I am God’s workmanship (Eph 2:10)
I am welcome in God’s Presence (Eph 2:8; Heb 4:14-16)
I am sheltered and protected in God (Col 3:3)
I am valuable to God (1 Cor 6:20)
I am a member of God’s family (1 John 3:1-12, Eph 2:19)
I am God’s treasure (1 Peter 2:9-10)
I am dearly loved (Col 3:12)
I am being transformed (2 Cor 3:18)
I am an heir of God (Rom 8:17)
I am a friend of God (John 15:15)
I am God’s delight (Zeph 3:17)
I am welcomed to draw near to God (Eph 3:12)
More Truth!
Are you going to agree with the voice and thoughts that tear you down, that tell you you’re not _______enough, that you’re _______?
Will you believe the Creator of the Universe, who loves you so much that he sent his only son to die for you so that you can have eternal life and a live a life abundantly here and now? (John 3:16; John 10:10)
May you live in the truth that you are deeply loved. God has a plan and a purpose for your life right now. You were born for such a time as this. (Esther 4:14)
Tools:
Self Deliverance Made Simple
Abide Bible Sleep Meditation on Apple Podcast
Bible App
Pause App
Scripture Lullabies Album 1 & 2 (iTunes)
Me, Myself & Lies