Ex-scape

"The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied, "Certainly, Your Majesty." He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."
(Daniel 3:22, 24, 25 NIV)

This past weekend I was in Albany for a birthday celebration and no longer than 10 minutes after I arrive there's a big commotion outside. As I step on the scene I am surrounded by smoke leading a trail to a fire that was blazing at the apartment next door. I see people running towards the fire, people making claims about how the fire started, but what stood out the most was that the fire blocked the escape route. It occurred to me in this instance that there was something wrong with the way this story was unfolding. But in actuality it's a story that people find themselves living out each and every day of their lives. On one hand we have a merciful and loving father who provides us a way of escape from danger but on the other hand we have ignorant and negligent children who choose to burn their only exit.

In this story we see three types of people: those who run towards the fire, those who make claims about the fire, and those who burn their way of escape. The people who run towards the fire are the types of people who blindly chase after danger without a thought of consequence to them or anyone else. To them the fire is a place of excitement and pleasure which entices them to come closer but the closer they get the more they get burned. What we have to realize is that though the fire seems pleasing to the eye and exciting in that brief moment, in the long run it will cause more harm than good. How many of you have found yourself running towards the fire of lust, the fire of greed, the fire of jealousy, or entrapped by the fire of hate?

The second type of people make assumptions about how the fire happened. They spread deceit about its origins and stir up confusion in an already chaotic situation. To them the fire is a portal for gossip that leads every listening ear towards a path of falsehood. Many of us have had encounters with people who spread lies about other people or circumstances to get us to doubt the authenticity or integrity of someone's character.

Lastly, we have those individuals who burn their way of escape. What God originally designed as an avenue of transition became a trap. It became a set up and not because God set you up but because your disobedience caused you to take the "cheese from the mousetrap" you found yourself stuck without a way out.

I want to encourage you and declare that it's when we find ourselves in the fiery furnace that we see God more clearly. Even when we burn our way of escape and end up in a state of ex-scape, God is able to weave it together for your good. Let's journey back to the life of a man named Joseph who was hated by his brothers, cast into a pit, sold into slavery, wrongly accused, and unjustly incarcerated. But even in the midst of all of these circumstances God exalted him. He could have allowed the fire of revenge take root in his heart, but God. He could have let the fire of depression overrule his faith, but God. He could have gave up and let the fire that stood in the way of his escape keep him trapped, but God stepped in and redirected him all the way to second in command to Pharaoh. So if He did it for Joseph then don't you think He can and will do it for you too. And if that's not enough to bring hope to what you're going through then let me introduce a man by the name of Jesus. A man who, "For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:2, 3 NIV) On our behalf, Jesus endured the fire of ridicule, betrayal, and rejection from the ones He dearly loved. His heart burned with sadness as He was nailed in His hands and in His feet, as He was pierced in His side, as He hung, bled, and died for us all. But HE GOT UP! And because Jesus got up we have a way out of a situation that seems burned to ashes. He is able to redeem and restore that which was lost and make all things new. So don't bow down to the fire of doubt, the fire of regret, or the fire of hopelessness. There's a God who never leaves you and never shall forsake you. A God who will not only remove the heat but provide a way out. That's the kind of God we serve!

Let us bow:

Dear heavenly and gracious father we come before you once again with an attitude of thanksgiving. We come Lord, recognizing that without you we can do nothing but with you ALL things are possible. Lord, the heat is on in our lives and the only way out is through you. The enemy seeks to block our exit but Lord you have come that we might have life and have life more abundantly. So teach us how to not run towards the fire that so easily seeks to traps us but to run towards you pressing towards the mark of the high calling that is in Christ Jesus. We are tired of being burned by our own shortcomings so Lord we present ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto you. It is in the name above every name, Jesus Christ, that we present this prayer. Amen.