The lions den season of life
In life we all have something about ourselves that stands out, or that makes us come alive. I am not quite sure how to explain it other then to share this. Over the past several months my laptop wasn't working. I quickly realized my computer was not the only thing in my life that stopped, so did my writing. Now I am far from a literary award, but over the past thirty years I have definitely learned a thing or two. My heart in writing is to share the wisdom and the many lessons I have learned. My hope is that through my writing you will glean not only wisdom, but that you will glean a glimpse of who God is.
In life we all will go through various trials. We will be hurt and we will do the hurting. We are far from the perfection that Jesus calls us to strive for. As human beings we will encounter situations in our lives that will take us to such a place where the only course of action is to kneel at the cross. I don't mean sit and pray. I mean your flesh has absolutely come to the end of it's self and you need the one who created you to redefine and reveal to you who you are. In this season you will be what often feels completely alone. In this season you will feel as if there is no primer reason for you to remain in said season. You are grasping for breathe and you are trying to survive. It's seasons like this that there is no running away. There is no escape. There is no figuring out what God is doing behind the scenes. In this season you merely find yourself giving up every preconceived expectation and thought you may have had. In this season you realize you can not figure out the plans of God and in reality if you could, then it wouldn't be God.
You spend your every waking day choosing to remain at the feet of Jesus cautiously waiting to hear His every word. You remind yourself your circumstances do not determine the out come of what your Heavenly Father will do. It is in this season you pour the scripture and everything you've been taught in to your heart. It is in this season those lessons come flooding back to your memory. It is in this season where you realize though you can not understand, now you know one day God's truth will come to light and all that was done will come to light. It is in this season you will feel lost and often scared, but above it all you choose to remain in joy. You remind yourself that no matter what your situation looks like, no matter who is for you or against you, no matter how much money you have in the bank, no matter what you are doing; you know God is still in control, and the joy of the Lord is your absolute strength.
You not only come face to face with truth, but you come face to face with who you are! Many times because we are selfish souls we try to deceive ourselves in to thinking we are better then we are. Come on now, who really wants to admit their flaws? Who wants to think they had been deceived and fooled like a school yard child? Here is another! Who really wants to admit they are prideful? Who wants to admit that they've been hurt, or yet taken offense? We try so hard to put up this secure front, but in reality we are just a scared little puppy dog at times.
I think of said season and I am reminded of the story of Daniel. Here is a prophet of God who saw visions and dreams from the Lord. He was a righteous man. He was obedient. He even looked out for God's people and yet what happened to him?
In Daniel 6.
Darius the Mede divided the kingdom. The administrators found fault with Daniel because he had proved himself more capable then all the other officers (6:3). These men were jealous! They wanted to find fault with Daniel. They didn't like that Daniel had great ability and had favor in the sight of the king. They were jealous! These men soon realize they would not find any case against Daniel except through his religion (6:5). The officers approached and convinced the king to sign a law for thirty days that any man caught praying to any other god except the king himself shall be thrown in to the lions den.
Daniel knew this law, but his loyalty to God meant more. What did Daniel do while others were coming against him and accusing him? He stepped away and he went home to pray. The Bible doesn't say he prayed once and continued on. No! Daniel went home.
10 But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.
Daniel went home and he prayed three time a day over his city. He continued to seek God because he knew God was the only answer. He took his case before God and Daniel trusted God!
When the officers found Daniel they knew they had caught him. They knew they had a case against him and they would be rid of him once and for all. Daniel was thrown in to the lions den. Here is something I believe most of us miss when reading this story. Daniel had favor with the king. The king did not want to kill Daniel (6:14 Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. ).
The king later tells Daniel “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.” (6:16)
Again we see the same example Daniel shows us in verse 10. The king separates himself and spends the night fasting. Later the next morning the king returns to see if the God Daniel serves truly would save him.
I almost wonder if the king knew God would save Daniel.
Daniel was saved from the lions and in the end it was the very officers who accused him that were eaten by the lions. God spared Daniel by sending an angel to shut the mouths of the lions (6:21-24)
In this season Daniel trusted God to do exactly what God needed to do. He knew God was faithful and he knew God would protect him.
In this season God called me to separate myself in a healthy way from just about everything. There are seasons where God will separate you to seek Him. He will remove things from your life that took presidency over Him. I have found we can be seeking God and trying to believe and hold on in faith, but at the very same time we are trying to believe and trust Him, we're really allowing that doubt, fear, and promise to be an idol. He will remove it.
In these seasons we walk through there is nothing more we can do except choose to trust that God orders the steps of the righteous and He has a plan for our lives. ( Psalm 37:23 (AMP)
We must choose to rely on Him to give us direction. Trust Him to speak to us and we must also be willing to lay down ourselves and let God remove anything unpleasing in our lives. It is a specific time of walking through the furnace. It is a time to be redefined according to what the word of God says about you, and you aligning yourself up with His will. It is a time to shape your character. It is a time to build your confidence. It is a time to sharpen your swords! It is not an easy season to walk out, but as you continue to embrace each day and not focus on what's ahead then you will hear God speak, and just like Daniel you will see the hand of God over your situation.
It is a season of fire, but how many of us know fire is what turns Gold into silver!
In life we all will go through various trials. We will be hurt and we will do the hurting. We are far from the perfection that Jesus calls us to strive for. As human beings we will encounter situations in our lives that will take us to such a place where the only course of action is to kneel at the cross. I don't mean sit and pray. I mean your flesh has absolutely come to the end of it's self and you need the one who created you to redefine and reveal to you who you are. In this season you will be what often feels completely alone. In this season you will feel as if there is no primer reason for you to remain in said season. You are grasping for breathe and you are trying to survive. It's seasons like this that there is no running away. There is no escape. There is no figuring out what God is doing behind the scenes. In this season you merely find yourself giving up every preconceived expectation and thought you may have had. In this season you realize you can not figure out the plans of God and in reality if you could, then it wouldn't be God.
You spend your every waking day choosing to remain at the feet of Jesus cautiously waiting to hear His every word. You remind yourself your circumstances do not determine the out come of what your Heavenly Father will do. It is in this season you pour the scripture and everything you've been taught in to your heart. It is in this season those lessons come flooding back to your memory. It is in this season where you realize though you can not understand, now you know one day God's truth will come to light and all that was done will come to light. It is in this season you will feel lost and often scared, but above it all you choose to remain in joy. You remind yourself that no matter what your situation looks like, no matter who is for you or against you, no matter how much money you have in the bank, no matter what you are doing; you know God is still in control, and the joy of the Lord is your absolute strength.
You not only come face to face with truth, but you come face to face with who you are! Many times because we are selfish souls we try to deceive ourselves in to thinking we are better then we are. Come on now, who really wants to admit their flaws? Who wants to think they had been deceived and fooled like a school yard child? Here is another! Who really wants to admit they are prideful? Who wants to admit that they've been hurt, or yet taken offense? We try so hard to put up this secure front, but in reality we are just a scared little puppy dog at times.
I think of said season and I am reminded of the story of Daniel. Here is a prophet of God who saw visions and dreams from the Lord. He was a righteous man. He was obedient. He even looked out for God's people and yet what happened to him?
In Daniel 6.
Darius the Mede divided the kingdom. The administrators found fault with Daniel because he had proved himself more capable then all the other officers (6:3). These men were jealous! They wanted to find fault with Daniel. They didn't like that Daniel had great ability and had favor in the sight of the king. They were jealous! These men soon realize they would not find any case against Daniel except through his religion (6:5). The officers approached and convinced the king to sign a law for thirty days that any man caught praying to any other god except the king himself shall be thrown in to the lions den.
Daniel knew this law, but his loyalty to God meant more. What did Daniel do while others were coming against him and accusing him? He stepped away and he went home to pray. The Bible doesn't say he prayed once and continued on. No! Daniel went home.
10 But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.
Daniel went home and he prayed three time a day over his city. He continued to seek God because he knew God was the only answer. He took his case before God and Daniel trusted God!
When the officers found Daniel they knew they had caught him. They knew they had a case against him and they would be rid of him once and for all. Daniel was thrown in to the lions den. Here is something I believe most of us miss when reading this story. Daniel had favor with the king. The king did not want to kill Daniel (6:14 Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. ).
The king later tells Daniel “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.” (6:16)
Again we see the same example Daniel shows us in verse 10. The king separates himself and spends the night fasting. Later the next morning the king returns to see if the God Daniel serves truly would save him.
I almost wonder if the king knew God would save Daniel.
Daniel was saved from the lions and in the end it was the very officers who accused him that were eaten by the lions. God spared Daniel by sending an angel to shut the mouths of the lions (6:21-24)
In this season Daniel trusted God to do exactly what God needed to do. He knew God was faithful and he knew God would protect him.
In this season God called me to separate myself in a healthy way from just about everything. There are seasons where God will separate you to seek Him. He will remove things from your life that took presidency over Him. I have found we can be seeking God and trying to believe and hold on in faith, but at the very same time we are trying to believe and trust Him, we're really allowing that doubt, fear, and promise to be an idol. He will remove it.
In these seasons we walk through there is nothing more we can do except choose to trust that God orders the steps of the righteous and He has a plan for our lives. ( Psalm 37:23 (AMP)
The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the Lord,
And He delights in his way [and blesses his path].)
We must choose to rely on Him to give us direction. Trust Him to speak to us and we must also be willing to lay down ourselves and let God remove anything unpleasing in our lives. It is a specific time of walking through the furnace. It is a time to be redefined according to what the word of God says about you, and you aligning yourself up with His will. It is a time to shape your character. It is a time to build your confidence. It is a time to sharpen your swords! It is not an easy season to walk out, but as you continue to embrace each day and not focus on what's ahead then you will hear God speak, and just like Daniel you will see the hand of God over your situation.
It is a season of fire, but how many of us know fire is what turns Gold into silver!
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