Hide & God Seek

"They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden."
"Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, 'Where are you?"
"He said, 'I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself."
(Genesis 3:8-10)

I remember when I was younger the times…yes I said the "times", I know it's hard to believe, for those who truly know me, that I did more than one wrong thing in my years of growing up…but I did…any way… the times when I did something that I knew very well my dad told me not to do, I remember being very nervous, very afraid to be around him. Not that he was mean or would beat me, but that I felt like he was going to find out. That he was going to be disappointed in me ( I didn't want to be disciplined either). Maybe I would show some guilt on my face, let the secret slip or just be there when he did find out. It seemed sometimes that if I wasn't around him when I was hiding something from him, then he may not find out my wrong doings. This is like the feelings that Adam must have had when he sinned & was hiding in among the trees of the garden. If this is how he felt…I know for a fact…it's a bad feeling. It also would have strained his relationship with God, it did mine & dad's.
When I was keeping a secret from him of something I had done wrong, I could not have a good conversation with him, have a game of catch, go fishing, go to him to hear him read the funny papers to me or anything else and enjoy it. I was miserable trying to dodge my dad or trying to not look guilty around him. It's a very uncomfortable feeling when you are not right with your dad. It's even more uncomfortable when you are not right with your Heavenly Father. The communication that you & I need with Him is just not there. That sin is separating us from God. Not in the way of losing our salvation, but separation from His power, blessings, comfort & communication. We become almost useless in our serves to God when we are not right with Him.
But you know, when I came to my dad & confessed or was caught & everything was out in the open & handled…I felt so relieved & I new that then & only then could our relationship be normal & what it should be again. I could face him again, but I did have to earn back the trust. With God He says in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." He wants us to know that when we mess up we can always turn to him. The great thing about my earthly dad is that I knew I could always turn to him, I may have to suffer the discipline, but he was always there. God also is always there standing waiting for us. Though we still may have to suffer the consequences of our sin, He is still there to forgive us…standing, waiting. The father of the prodigal son…standing with his arms open…waiting to embrace the filthy mud & pig slop covered son. The son who has been miserable living with the pigs.
God also wants us to know that when we turn to Him we do not have to worry about Him hanging our forgiven sins over our heads as leverage. "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). He says here is forgiveness & freedom…take it…it's yours. Well, What are you waiting for? He knows what He's waiting for. He's waiting for you.

Vern

Was the fiery furnace in the book of Daniel literal?

“Was the fiery furnace in the book of Daniel literal? I was teaching the story to my 5 and 6 year olds and they asked me if they would burn up in a fire if they believed in God? I did not know how to answer that question. Was it just a story?”

The furnace that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into was a literal furnace. The Bible tells us in Daniel 3 that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon during this time, that he built a statute to himself, gave the measurements of the statue & exactly where the statue was placed in the plain of Dura in Babylon. It also goes in detail about who was called together for the dedication of the statue, “…the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces…” . The Bible also goes in to detail on the instruments that would be played, that would notify everyone to bow & worship this statue, “…the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music…”. With all of the detail alone, I believe that the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego & the furnace, is a literal happening in history.
As for the children’s question on, if they would burn up if they believe in God, remind them that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t burn up. The story shows that God delivered them from death at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar by not only saving them from the fiery furnace, but also entering into the furnace Himself. Let them know that in every situation that life throws at us Jesus is right there with us, & when the kitchens too hot, He doesn’t leave us.
But also in this story the kids need to see the strength, confidence & faith that these three young men had in God & His leadership & care for them. Listen to what they said to King Nebuchadnezzar in verses 16-18: “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
These young men were telling the king that they didn’t even have to think about there answer to him concerning the bowing down to & worshiping of this man-made god. They had already, way before this incident, made up their mind to worship, obey & follow the one & only true & living God…the great I Am. In other words they didn’t even bat an eye when they answered King Nebuchadnezzar. They also were confident that no matter what happened, whether they didn’t have to enter the furnace, whether they went into the furnace & walked out untouched or if they died there that day in the flames, that it was the will of God. That He knew what needed to happen & that either way, they would be taken care of. They knew, that even though the king was Nebuchadnezzar, they worshipped the King of kings & Lord of lords who cared & loved them.

Vern