AN EVER PRESENT HELP IN TROUBLE 3

 

Daniel 3:24-28

New King James Version

²⁴ Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”

²⁵ “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.”

²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire.

 ²⁷ And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.

²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!

When Shadrach Meshach and Abednego were taken captive, they were young and had their whole lives ahead of them. They were obviously from godly homes because we see them refusing to eat meat from the kings table because it had been sacrificed to idols in keeping with their Jewish beliefs. Yet in spite of being prisoners of war in a strange land they never turned their backs on God we have no record that they ever returned home or where reunited with their families but they kept waxing stronger in faith. As far as they were concerned even if God chose to allow them to be thrown into a burning furnace to be roasted to death for choosing to honour him they were okay with it, totally submitted to God’s will for their lives.

 

This was something I struggled so much with i.e. accepting what God allowed. Like these Hebrews I found myself in a ‘strange land’ called widowhood. My belief was God would satisfy my family and I with long life because we were His children and specifically asked Him for protection and long life and we didn’t deliberately do anything life threatening. This made it so difficult to accept my husband’s early death. However as Christians if we have done what we know to do we should leave the results in God’s hands because He alone has the big picture and regardless of what we have experienced he does all things our best interest.

As to be expected the king was furious and asked the furnace to be heated 7 times hotter than it should be and then had them bound and cast into the burning fiery furnace. The furnace was so hot that those that threw them in were consumed by the fire. The king and his advisers settled to watch these men burn but suddenly the king rose in haste and said to his counselors, did we not cast three men into the fire and they answered yes. Then he said ‘But I see four! He must have wondered if his eyes were playing a trick on him. There was something about the fourth man, according to the king he looked like the son of God! My Goodness! This makes me so excited! Yes! The ever and very present help was right there in the fire with them never leaving them nor forsaking them even for a moment.

An Ever Present Help in Trouble 2

AN EVER PRESENT HELP IN TROUBLE 2

Psalm 46:1-5

King James Version

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

² Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
³ Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
⁴ There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
⁵ God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

After writing the first part of this post when the Lord laid Ps. 46: 1-5 on my heart, I have been thinking and mediating on this passage (one of my favourite in scripture) what really stood out again is the fact that verse one says, God is a very present help in trouble, simply put he is there when you and I are in trouble not just present but VERY present. To me that means in trouble his presence takes control and becomes a refuge from the storm and a source of strength to keep us from falling and giving up.

Verse 2 says Therefore we will not fear in other words because God is with you no matter how harsh the storms you are facing even if your world physically, emotionally or in any other way seems to be falling apart, or the mountains are carried and thrown into the sea, the waters roar – that shows how angry and fierce the storm is, you can rest assured that you’ll get through it. We can liken the storm of death or loss to natural disasters, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis or earthquakes and easily recall the devastation they leave behind when they come calling. The most technologically advanced man made strategies put in place cannot hinder them. Many times even the most prepared nations ask people to evacuate areas where such disasters are expected. Why? The storm is to powerful and carries death and destruction with it. Yet God says He is a refuge in the midst of these kinds of storms.

You may have lost your husband or loved one to a natural disaster so you have experienced the strength of the storm of loss and grief but remember God is stronger and through it all He is with you. The loss of your husband or loved one has the impact of a storm with such a powerful force that could not be contained.  It came uninvited and stole something from you. Now you feel like you are still in the midst of the storm that is threatening to overwhelm you. The good news is that God is there with you.

I am reminded of the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3:1-30. These were foreigners who had risen to prominence in Babylon. Then one day king Nebuchadnezzar builds an image of gold and commands everyone to worship it with dire consequences for anyone who refuses. But because these men knew their God and that he was well able to save them in verse17 – 18 they tell the king that they know God will save them but if he chooses not to, they will not bow to his image. From the passage we find the King had threatened saying “who is that God that will deliver you out of my hands ‘ Nebuchadnezzar was about the most powerful man on earth and had the ability and capacity to make good His threat. He didn’t think any God could save them or anyone else from his hands no matter how powerful the God was.

The Ever Present help in Trouble.

God is our refuge and strenght,
A very present help in trouble,
Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be
removed,
And though the mountains be
carried into the midst of the
sea;
Though the waters roar and be
troubled,
Though the mountains shake
with its swelling.
There is a river whose streams
shall make glad the city of God.
The holy place of the tabernacle
of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her,she shall not be moved;
God shall help her,just at the
break of dawn.
Psalms 46:1-5

As one day gives way for another and the night gives way to dawn the Lord God Almighty shall help you. He will send you the help you need to get through another day. The Lord thy God in the midst of you is mighty. Therefore like the Psalm said you shall not be moved.

The Lord your God in your
Midst,
The Mighty One,will save;
He will rejoice over you with
gladness,
He will quiet you with His
love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

Beloved be quieted in your spirit and soul by His love. Yes, He loves you and has good plans for you. I pray for you today that from your pain, loss and grief you will grow more
in the Lord and experience His love, peace, grace and abiding presence in new and

deeper measures. Remember God is your refuge from the storms of life including

 widowhood, He is your strenght and your ever present help in trouble. No matter what the challenge is He's got your back and He is right there with you. He  will walk you out of it to a safe place.
Keep holding on!