So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
During the earthquake tragedy in Haiti, I recall reading an article that described the critical situation that was at hand. And at the bottom of that online article, there was space for comments by Internet users. One particular comment has stuck with me all this time…an unpleasant comment that I cannot shake. To paraphrase, it went something like this: “Listen people, we need real action here. Don’t pray and think that will do anything. Instead dig into your pockets and donate money. Do something real!” Reflecting on this comment, I pause and think about all that God has accomplished over time…to just name a few (excluding the very creation of the universe): 1) Instantly healed a man with leprosy, 2) Made a blind man see with a single command, 3) Raised a crippled man to his feet, free to walk unhindered, 4) Brought a completely (4 days) dead man named Lazarus back to life, 5) Died through crucifixion and rose to life again, completely on his own. That’s a pretty incredible list…in fact, man would probably categorize all 5 items on this brief list as impossible. Man has managed to accomplish some pretty great things over time as well…but can any of them really hold a candle to what God has and is able to accomplish? And can any of man’s accomplishments really be separated from God? In other words, can man claim sole responsibility for what he has been able to accomplish? Or did God play a part in the good that man has done? If what man has done is considered “good”, then James 1:17 provides the answer as it states, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” There you have it, God is in the mix…no doubt. We get into trouble in this life when we think we can fly solo…when we think that we are somehow better off on our own and that we can achieve greater things through our own blood, sweat, and tears. With man, we can accomplish some things…but with God, we can accomplish ALL things (see Philippians 4:13). Knowing that, why would we NOT want to involve him…and then allow him to work through us? Returning to the earthquake example mentioned above, it’s possible that a person might NOT feel compelled to donate money or lend their time to the effort, but they do feel drawn to prayer. So they pray…and through that prayer, the Lord nudges them along…setting aside their inaction and replaces it with action…and real things are accomplished. Or better yet, maybe God hears the requests of his people (see Psalm 55:16-22) and steps down and actually performs a genuine miracle like the one in Daniel 3 above. One thing is true, with God, man can accomplish so much more than if he were to go at it alone (see Daniel 6:1-28 and 1 Samuel 17). So whether we are in times of victory or times of defeat, maybe we take time to include the Lord in prayer, trusting that he will make his perfect mark on the situation. To God be the glory!
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