So the other day, I was pointed to an article about a man who decided to "prove the power of God" and attempted to wrestle a lion. Without reading the article, I'm sure you can all guess how that turned out. Never mind that a google search yields a number of different accounts, all with varied details of what actually happened, perhaps even calling into question the veracity of the encounter itself.
Whether true or not, it pointed me instantly to the book of Daniel. And no, I'm not making reference to the infamous encounter Daniel had in the den of lions, though that would certainly apply here. Rather, I'm looking at another encounter that not only demonstrates the sovereignty of God, but also the faith of those in question. Specifically I'm referring to the 3 men in the fiery furnace. Now the encounter itself is a fascinating one, but specifically I am looking at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's response to King Nebuchadnezzar: “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (NIV '84)
You see in their response a complete trust in God, that is unwavering and without compromise, no matter what. They firmly believed that God could and would rescue them, but were willing to concede that God made no such promise. Regardless of that, they would continue to believe and trust in God, no matter how hot the flames of the furnace were, and no matter how painful their possible death. While I'm somewhat skeptical that the aforementioned "Lion wrestling" encounter even truly happened (just because its on the internet doesn't make it true, after all...), I'm finding that especially in this day and age of extreme violence, factions, and a general loss of morality and virtue, such a response as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is the proper one for Christians.
We are not promised an easy life as Christians. Just the opposite, actually. Today's age demonstrates an increasing hostility toward those who refrain from acquiescing to worldly values and virtue. Contained in Martin Luther's voluminous writings is a small quip about fanning the flames. Not worldly flames, or flames of societal passion and pressure, but the flame of the Holy Spirit and standing one's ground when it came to resisting worldly temptation and pressure. In his commentary on Romans 1, he writes, "Rule: When a young person has no spark of reverence for God in his heart but goes his way without a thought about God, I can hardly believe that he is chaste. For as he must live either by the flesh or by the spirit, either his flesh or his spirit must be afire. There is no better victory over the burning of the flesh than to have the heart flee and turn away from it in devout prayer. Where the flame of the spirit is burning, the flesh soon cools off and becomes cold, and vice versa." (LW 25:166)
In this day and age, little has changed since the time of the Pharisees, or for that matter, during the whole of recorded human history. Time and again, people looked for signs to "prove" that God was real, or that God was powerful, etc. all the while ignoring the obvious signs of both present and past that were right in front of them. Today, it is not about proving that God is all-powerful, but simply remaining faithful to Him, and as Luther says, "fanning the flames of the spirit" that they may burn bright in us. These are my thoughts this Thursday morning.
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