Ann Farabee

But if not, we want you to know, O king, that we will NOT serve your gods, and we will NOT worship the golden image you set up!

That was a pretty bold statement coming from three friends about to be cast into a fiery furnace!
The words were said after King Nebuchadnezzar set up a statue that was 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide. He commanded that everyone stop when they heard music playing and worship the statue.
And if they did not, they would be cast into a fiery furnace — so hot that its’ fiery blast killed the soldiers who opened the door!

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego — could have taken the easy way out — maybe bow for a second, but not worship. Or they could say they were just following the customs of the land at that time. There were lots of excuses — or ways out — of the situation. And then they could ask God to forgive them. And God would.
So, why didn’t they? Maybe because they knew that would be putting other gods before the true God. Or maybe because they knew that would hurt their testimony.

It was a tough choice to make. Then, King Nebuchadnezzar said, “Who is this god that is going to deliver you?” That may have made them even more bold, because the god that was going to deliver them was THEIR God — the only true God!
In Daniel 3:16, they said that they did not even have to think about their decision or defend themselves in that matter. They had quickly made their choice — conviction over comfort. They were taking a stand for God instead of a stoop to an idol.
In verse 17, their trust in God seemed even more pronounced: If it be so, our God whom we serve is ABLE to deliver us from the
burning fiery furnace and deliver us out of your hand, O king.

This is when the ‘but if not’ verse — Daniel 3:18 — happened. It was the boldest statement of all – they wanted King Neb to know that no matter what, they would not serve his gods or worship the golden image he set up.
Ooohhhh! King Neb was so full of fury that he had the heat turned up 7 times hotter!

The most mighty men in the army were then told to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

Shortly after that, King Neb asked his counselors one of the best questions ever, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” Their answer was: True.

Then came one of the best follow up responses to one of the best questions ever when King Neb said, “Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”
When they walked out, they didn’t even smell like smoke!

• And… the king gave them a promotion!
Going through the fire?
• We don’t even have to defend ourselves.
• If it be so, our God is able to deliver us.
• God is in the fire with us- no matter how hot it gets.
• The same power that delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is available for us.
• We won’t even smell like smoke … and we may get a promotion.
• But if not… serve God anyway.

Ann is a speaker and teacher. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com

After complaining to a friend – I mean ‘talking’ with a friend – about a commitment I had made that was taking up a lot of time, she looked at me inquisitively and asked, “What did you expect?”

We looked at each other and laughed. What did I expect? Really? From her, I am pretty sure I was expecting some sympathy.

We want to be successful, but we never quite feel full of success. If we could just not worry about personal success – and make our lives about desiring spiritual success…

Here are two ways to get started:

Enlarge our vision. It is not about us. Whatever we do impacts someone somewhere. It does not matter if it is homework, housework, work work, or God’s work – because the reality is that it is all God’s work. It’s not about the income – it’s about the outcome. We may get tired. We may want to quit. Having the ability and capability may help us take on the response-ability. And if we have the ability to respond, God often leads us to do just that.

Remember WHO we are working for… in everything we do.

Raise our level of expectancy. What do we expect? We need to expect more – from God.

That is called having faith – and without faith it is impossible to please God. He has proven in His Word over and over – and to us – time and time again – that He will show up when least expected, do the unexpected, and go beyond our expectations. We should just learn to expect it!

Think about Noah. What do we know-a about Noah? We know that Genesis 6:8-9 says that he found grace in the eyes of the Lord and that he was a just man who walked with God.

God told him to build the ark. What did Noah expect? He expected rain.

God told him how to prepare for it – and he got right to work!

Genesis 6:22 says: Thus did Noah, according to all that God commanded him, so did he. The verse starts and finishes with Noah doing the work God gave him to do.

Even though Noah was around 600 years old, I somehow doubt that he spent much time complaining to friends about the commitment he had undertaken – because he knew it would have good results – I mean – God results.

Noah had a big assignment. And…he had big expectations!

Hard work with little rest sometimes happens. It is always okay to do more than expected.

If God calls us to it, He will see us through it.

Ahh… a new car! Everyone who got in it would say, “I love the new car smell!” That continued for weeks.

But over time, the comments stopped. Now, a year later, comments are more like, “Yuck.

What SMELLS in here?” The new did not last.

We love new, don’t we? New job, new house, new furniture, new phone, new clothes, new STUFF… the list can be endless.

But at some point, the new becomes old. It is not quite as exciting, not quite as effective, and never everlasting.

I have proven that by the number of items that now reside in my attic. Or have been given away — or thrown away.

Wouldn’t it be great if things could stay new?

Well… some things do.

Here is my short list of some NEWs that will never become old:

• A New Creation: If any man be in Christ, he is a NEW creation. Old things are passed away. All things are become NEW. 2 Corinthians 5:17

• New Mercy: The Lord’s mercies are NEW every morning. Great is his faithfulness. Lamentations 2:22-23

• A New Thing: Remember not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a NEW thing. Now, it shall spring forth. Don’t you know it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:18-19

I remember from years ago, my then 10-year-old son asking me as I was leaving for the grocery store, “Mom, can you get me something NEW this time?”

I laughingly asked, “Well, how do I identify it as being NEW?”

His response, “It will be in a shiny package and will have the word NEW on it.”

Surprisingly, I found several items to match that description and he savored every bite.
NEW just seemed to make it better.

Read the verses again. Let them sink in to your spirit. How beautiful they are!

Now, imagine those verses wrapped in a shiny package labeled NEW — being hand delivered to you — by the Light of the World — in this world that sometimes may feel a little dark. Savor those promises. They were given to you.

Present promises provided by a personal and present God.

• We are a NEW creation.

• We receive NEW mercies every morning.

• God will do a NEW thing.

Gifts freely given. Receive them.

Heaven felt really close that morning. Above me were the whitest white clouds and the bluest blue skies I had ever seen. They hovered above me like I belonged with them. Touching them did not seem out of the realm of possibility.

Looking back twenty years later, I believe heaven may actually have been a little closer that day. Because…a few hours earlier, I had watched my mother slip away and cross over to her heavenly home, where her faith had become sight.

1 Peter 1:3-4 says that because of God’s abundant mercy, we are born again to a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It is an everlasting heritage, is not subject to death, will not fade away, and is reserved in heaven for us.

Yes, there was a place in heaven reserved for her!

She had RESERVATIONS!

*She did not have to check any baggage, because she did not take any with her.

*She did not have to prove her identity, because Jesus knew her.

*She did not have to pay to get in, because Jesus had paid the price!

Just minutes after singing these words around her bedside, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see,” Jesus took her home. I somehow believe she was greeted in heaven with that song – sung by the heavenly choir!

Revelation 21:4-5 tells us that God wiped away her tears, that she would see no more death, she would feel no more sorrow, nor crying, and she would have no more pain, for those things had passed away. God had made all things new.

John 14:2-3 tells us there was a mansion awaiting her, because Jesus had gone to prepare a place for her, and that He would come again and receive her unto himself, that where He was, there she would be also.

Yes, Jesus had prepared a place – for her – and He came back to get her! The promise of eternal life that she had clung to – had been fulfilled.

1 Corinthians 2:9 says that our eyes have not seen, nor have our ears heard, neither has it entered into our hearts, the things that God has prepared for those who love him.

1 Corinthians 13:12 says that now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face. Now we know in part, but then we will be complete.

I believe it. I believe it all. I believe it for me. I believe it for you. And I believe it for those who have gone on before us.

God is real. Heaven is real. His promises are true.

Lord, I pray for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Heal their broken hearts. Comfort them. Wrap Your arms around them. Give them peace that passes all understanding. May we all somehow catch a glimpse of just how beautiful heaven must be… Amen.

Before the days of GPS or cell phones, I was driving home alone in an unfamiliar city late one night, and took a wrong exit on a dark, desolate road. Initially, turning around seemed a little tricky, so I kept on going, thinking I would eventually get to the right road.

Within a few minutes, I began to feel that the only way home may be to click my heels together three times, and repeat, “There’s no place like home.” It got scary. After some aimless wandering, I THEN decided to pray. As soon as I breathed that prayer, I knew immediately to turn around and head back to where I made the wrong turn. I then got back on the right road.

It reminded me of the story of Jonah. He wasn’t lost, but he did go one direction when the Lord told him to go a different direction. Big mistake!

He ended up in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.

Jonah 2:1 says, THEN Jonah prayed. Yes, the prayer came after he spent what surely seemed like an eternity in the belly of that fish.

According to Jonah 2:2-9, it was a prayer of thanksgiving! He was thankful he hadn’t drowned! The NIV version of this text expresses it as Jonah calling on the Lord in his distress – he had been hurled into the depths, the currents had swirled about him, the engulfing waters threatened him, and the seaweed was wrapped around his head.

That’s a pretty clear visual to provide during a prayer!

After his prayer, Jonah 2:10 happened, “And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.”

He was finally set free from the belly of the fish!
*Why did he not go the direction he should have to start with?
*Why did he not pray sooner?

*Why would we even ask those questions, when we do the same thing? We let it get really ugly and messy… hurled into the depths, currents swirling, engulfing waters, seaweed wrapped around our heads…before we pray.

Many of us have not had just one of those moments – but have had a lifetime of them. Choices made that were not taking us the right direction.

But… then.

‘Then’ means ‘at that time,’ and ‘when’ we have a ‘then’ seems to be exactly ‘when’ we remember to pray. Aren’t you thankful that God allows us to turn around and get back on the right road?

So, when’s your then?

***Contact me and let me know how your then’s go at annfarabee@gmail.com. It seems ‘fishy’ to me that it has been a ‘long time no sea’ for some of you, but no need to feel ‘gill-ty.’ I’m just glad you read my columns!

Is that the best you can do? The words were not said in a positive tone, and my sixth grade student stared at the test results his mother was referring to, in order to avoid making eye contact. We were in the middle of a parent-teacher conference, and she seemingly was implying that he had not tried hard enough. As his teacher, I had seen him work diligently – but he was just not ‘quite there’ with some of the concepts.

I truly felt it was the best he could do. The words the mother said may have been meant to encourage – but they actually really stung.

The memory of that conference came to mind while I was writing a recent column. I had been working on it for what felt like a really long time. A bit frustrated, I put my head down on the table where I was working, and prayed, “Lord, give me the words.” Almost immediately, these words popped into my heart, “Is that the best you can do?”

I looked around to see who had asked me that. I sat up. I sat back. I folded my arms. I looked around again. I looked at my words on the computer screen in front of me. I thought. And I thought. And I thought some more. I smiled – I think I laughed.

“Yes,” I responded aloud, “that is the best I can do.”
Happily, I submitted myself to that truth – and submitted my column to be published.
I was just going to let the Lord take it from there.
Maybe it was not the best someone else could have done – but I’m me – and it was the best I could do.

God made me. God knows me. God loves me. God knows my abilities… and my limitations. God brought me to this place – in this time – for a purpose. He has given me the assignments that I have.

If God only called the qualified, I would have very few assignments.
Instead, God qualifies the called.

I began to think back over my life, with those words in mind: Is that the best you can do?

Honestly, there have been way too many times the answer would have been a resounding, “No, I definitely did not do my best. I did what I wanted to do, instead.”

I cannot go back and recover those times, but neither can Adam, Eve, David, Jonah, Peter – just to name a few – who may not have always done their best in everything, either.

But…it is probably best that we stop trying to compare ourselves to others, and instead seek only the approval of the One who created us. Then, our lives would be a whole lot less complicated – and our joy would be a whole lot more full.

If we do our best – God will do the rest.

And… it will be best – if we can learn to rest – in that.