Salty Zebra

“For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope.”  Jeremiah 29:11 People like to quote Jeremiah 29:11 because it sounds fluffy and nice, like God is going to give us everything we want.  The reality is, it was a promise given to exiles who were going to have to live in a foreign land under foreign rule for 70 years.  It was a big promise, one necessary to see them through a very difficult time, generations of difficult times.   God gave the exiles this promise to tell them,  “This hard time will not end in your demise, but will be used to grow and teach you.  You will come out of this better for it, not ruined.” All the exiles could see was their destruction, but God saw their future, a future of hope and promise. Instead of locking their eyes on their circumstances, the exiles needed to lock their eyes on God.  Once more, they needed to become the people of God.  Toda

  “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the honor both now and on that eternal day.”  2 Peter 3:18 People worry a lot about the end times, about the time to come. Sometimes they even worry about whether we are living in them now. I’m just not sure how that benefits them. You see, God placed us where we are, right here, right now. We are where we are supposed to be. The question is, are we doing what we are supposed to be doing? If the world has not ended yet, which I’m pretty sure it hasn’t (unless this is all some crazy Matrix thing and then I give up), we are in a time of grace. It is by God’s grace that He hasn’t wrapped it all up and called His loved ones home, punishing those who so justly deserve it. And why would He do that? Because He loves us. Yes, He even loves those who have set themselves up as His enemies. He would call even them to come home. Because home is what He is. He is our beginning, our creator. It is from His love

  “I have issued an edict that throughout all the dominion of my kingdom people are to revere and fear the God of Daniel. “For he is the living God; he endures forever. His kingdom will not be destroyed; his authority is forever. He rescues and delivers and performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions!”   Daniel 6:26-27 Being faithful to God isn’t something you do in a big moment in your life. It isn’t a one-time decision. The reality is that when faced with a major life choice, when you’re under the gun so to speak, especially if it’s a moment of stress and pressure, you’re not likely to make an admirable choice that is different from the types of choices you’ve been making in your life up to this point. We all wonder if when faced with a terrible choice we would make the noble one. Would we sacrifice ourself for others? Would we stand up for what we believe in even if it would cost us everything? The reality is, you c

  “So the king gave the order, and Daniel was brought and thrown into a den of lions. The king consoled Daniel by saying, “Yor God whom you continually serve will rescue you!”  Daniel 6:16 Darius, the king, had an anxious night of waiting. He hoped that Daniel would be saved by his God, but he didn’t know for sure. If he did, he would have had peace and rested well. The devotional author equated this to seasons of waiting in our own lives. I’m in a strange one. I have a brain tumor, that I’ve mentioned often before. I had a surgery last year that took out part of it, but was told that it would eventually grow. That began a season of waiting, that I thought had ended this spring when I was told that it had begun growing. We started down the path of treatment, seeking out a team, learning, and figuring out what treatment modality would best suit us. Then, this last Monday, we learned that the tumor had not actually grown at all! According to our new doctor, who uses different ways of

  “Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Praised be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent forth his angel and has rescued his servants who trusted in him, ignoring the edict of the king and giving up their bodies rather than serve or pay homage to any god other than their God!”   Daniel 3:28 I think this was the easiest part of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s walk of faith. Being thrown into the furnace required no choice on their part. They were bound by men far stronger than them and they had no choice. They could not recant, they could not do anything to save themselves. Their paths were set, all they could do was see how their choices would play out. The harder part was what came before, choosing not to bow. For me, the walk of faith is the most difficult in the choice. Once the choice is made, following it, as long as I believe in the choice, is easy. It’s that moment of choice that trips me up more often than not. How do I know what God wants me to do? How do I know

  “However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the times to come.”   Daniel 2:28a The biggest things that Daniel accomplished, what he is known for throughout history, came from times that he sought out and heard from God. If he was to be known for any accomplishments, it would be for being a man of prayer. This often catapulted him to fame and high position, but as the country’s leadership changed, so did his position. Even when Nebuchadnezzar’s son came into power, he did not keep Daniel in his position as a wise man but put him out to pasture until the day he needed his services. Then, once more, he offered him a high position, but it was too late because that very night his kingdom was taken from him ( Daniel 5 ). Daniel never sought glory for himself. He never took credit for his accomplishments or the things he knew. He always gave the credit to God and pointed back to Him. In the same way, we nee