August 01, 2021 | Letters from the Lead Pastor by Brandon Lenhart
“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (Daniel 3:17-18). These are probably my favorite verses from the Old Testament book of Daniel because even though Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stand before Nebuchadnezzar resolved to their potential fate, they also don’t know if GOD will rescue them from the fire. Their trust in GOD was stronger than the possibility of death at the hands of one man.
Do we have the type of trust and peace in GOD that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had? Would we stay strong in our faith and resolve even when there was no guarantee that GOD would physically rescue us from the fire? I would like to think so, but we may never know unless we’re put to the test.
As we move into August 2021 at North Main, we continue our theme of “Peace.” This month we’re focusing on peace amidst difficulty. True peace is not known until it is tested by difficult circumstances and situations in life. Peace without adversity is not peace at all, unless the source of peace is perfectly powerful and perfectly good. There is no other Source the world has ever known with these qualities apart from GOD.
Jesus, the embodiment of GOD in human flesh, gives us the perfect example of peace amidst difficulty. The night He was arrested, He was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane asking the Father to take the cup of wrath that was about to be poured out on Him through the cross, and yet, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, He trusted the Father’s decision regardless of the outcome. Once Jesus rose from prayer, He not only had a steely determination, but an unwavering peace. That peace would lead Him through an unfair trial with the Sanhedrin (the Jewish Council), a back and forth play between Pilate and Herod, a beating the likes of which no one should ever experience, rejection and jeering from the crowds of onlookers as He carried His cross to Golgotha, and finally, His being nailed to a cross in sheer agony, pain, and humiliation.
Further evidence of Jesus’ peace would come in those final hours as He hung on the cross. Struggling with every breath to quell the pain, Jesus would say only a few words. They are an indicator of His peace of mind and His ongoing love for humanity. At one point He calls out, “Father forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing.” At another moment He’s encouraging one of the criminals on the cross that he would be in Paradise with Him that day. And His last words were words of completion, “It is finished!” These words are the resounding evidence of the peace that Jesus carried to the cross knowing that His death was the way to salvation through the New Covenant in His blood.
So, what are we to do? We can take the examples of multiple characters throughout Scripture to bolster not only our faith but allow them to encourage us when difficult circumstances come.
Difficult circumstances can make or break you. The one who can withstand the difficulties of this life is the one whose Source of strength is Christ.
