Defining Moments
“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
I was sitting, listening last night to a beautiful song, the words go something like this:
“Sometimes it takes a mountain... to get a hold of me...
Sometimes it takes a mountain
To trust You and believe..”
Sometimes it takes a mountain to get our attention - These are defining moments. The defining moments in my Christian walk have not been all the successes but they have been the really tough ones. Are you facing 'Mount Everest' in your life today? Those are the times when we really grow in our faith. We have got to get close to Jesus because he needs us to lose all our natural efforts, all our natural abilities and all our game plans.
You see, that mountain becomes so big for us, we just can’t handle it and that is the time when you and I say: “Lord Jesus, I just can’t handle it anymore...” and He responds and says: “Let go and let me!” You see, the Lord never said to us that He would take us out of the fire but what he did say, is that He will walk with us through our fiery trials.
If we go to Daniel 3:18 we see three amazing men of God: Meshach, Shadrach and Abed-Nego - Three young Jewish men who refused to bow their knee to the gods of Nebuchadnezzar, in Persia. Now, what I really love is their unconditional trust in God, they say:
"But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up. Daniel 3:18
'Even if He does not deliver us, we still will not serve you'... That is what God is looking for today from you and me - unconditional surrender. But you see, that is not the end of the story... They threw these three men into a furnace that had been made seven times hotter than ever before. And when Nebuchadnezzar looked into the fiery furnace he didn’t see three men walking around, he saw four men walking around!
“Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”
Daniel 3:25
You see, Jesus told you and me that He will never leave us, He will never forsake us - He walks with us through the fire. The only thing that you and I need to fear today is fear itself. Jesus says:
“I have not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
2 Timothy 1:7
Set your eyes on Jesus today and the mountain will become a mere molehill. Have a wonderful day.
God bless you and goodbye.