Has the Lord whom you serve been able to rescue you?

In Sunday School, we used to sing the song "Trust and Obey", and the story of Daniel shows that trust and obedience are not only commands... but they lead to very real changes in our lives. When we trust in the Lord, we open ourselves to the possibility of His great work in our lives. By remembering moments in our lives when God has rescued us from the mouth of lions or a mountain of Finals to grade, we can remember that He is "mighty to save". This encourages us to obey the Lord at all moments, every day taking time to pray and read His word... knowing that His greatest command is to love others, and in doing so seek first the kingdom of God.

Trust

¹⁹ At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. ²⁰ When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”

²¹ Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! ²² My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”

²³ The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. ~Daniel 6:19-23

The story of Daniel may be familiar to many of us. King Darius decreed that no one would pray or worship any other gods or humans besides himself would be thrown into the Lion's den. The king's advisors then found Daniel in prayer in his room, where he prayed to the Lord three times a day. The King, unwillingly, threw him in the Lions den, saying, "May the God who you serve protect you." And the next morning, the king went to check. To me, this was surprising this morning. I had forgotten that the king went to check. He must've had some faith way deep in a hidden place in his heart. Think about it. Most people would think, "Oh, poor Daniel... that's the end of him." Why even both checking, if you don't think is possible.

And of course, Daniel was saved... and we know that it was because he trusted in God. And this question is directed at all of us this morning, not particularly about the lion's den, but "Has the Lord whom you serve been able to rescue you?" For me, the answer is yes... and I'm sure it is for many of you as well. When you open yourself to the Lord and His will for your life, you can experience His goodness and His saving grace from anything that burdens you... a difficult situation with a family, a health problem, an enormous challenge at work. Just like yesterday's scripture recommended, it is a problem to always expect and need our desired outcome... because God knows much more about why certain outcomes would be beneficial and when. We only see dimly, especially at the present time.

I remember that I was so upset when I didn't get the long-term teaching contract to Spanish at Central Bucks high school which I had been in competition for. But I honestly wasn't quite happy there. It wasn't what I'd dreamed of doing. I needed to not get the job in order for God to take me to Brazil to do Brethren Volunteer Service for the next 2 years and eventually lead me to graduate school. Sometimes a rescue doesn't even look like a rescue at the time. Sometimes it can be painful. (I wonder if Shadrack, Meshak and Abednego got sindged at all in the fire.) But, we can rest assured that during finals, during hectic holiday seasons, during difficult health situations, God protects and loves those who trust in Him.

Obedience

I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. ⁶ And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. ~2 John 1: 5-6

When we put God first, and trust completely in Him, it allows us to let go of our concerns. And then, we open ourselves up to living in love. I love verse 6 here, "His command is that you walk in love." Walk in love... the next moment you take a few steps, imagine yourself walking in love. What would that look like? How does it look different?

When I imagine walking in love, I imagine what the Emergent Church calls 'missional living.' Brad was talking to me about this the other day, since I had been describing it without a name. What this church calls "missional living" is to me "walking in love." It is focusing on living each day intentionally, seeing each opportunity and interaction as a moment to reach out to someone you see. To me, this is what Jesus did. He did not organize huge soup kitchens (which I'm not saying is a bad thing), but He stopped to feed, talk to and heal those who He saw... sometimes randomly at chance.

As you walk today, imagine yourself "walking in love" and see what kinds of missional living you can participate in.

An encouraging word to a student, a kind word to a neighbor, help to a friend or a sandwich shared with a homeless person, extra patience with a child (or pet!). With love in every footstep, God can work through us to rescue others.