Ep 74: Farther Along

0:00 Hey, good morning and welcome to the show. I'm Daniel Dalp and this is for your Sunday morning drive, the short podcast with the goal of providing some motivation, some drive and encouragement on your way to worship and helping you recenter your mind on those spiritual things on a hectic Sunday morning. We are brought to you by the Ministry League network of podcasts. Ministry League offers some great free resources to help you build up your faith and encourage you throughout your week. And they're available through ministryleague.com or you can always download their app. Well, listeners, last week was a heavy one for many. I know it was for me. And I just wanted you to know before we get into the episode today that you are loved, that you are not alone and encourage you not to let the darkness fool you. The sun is on the horizon.

0:44 And I hope today's episode is encouraging. Let's go ahead and get the show on the road this morning. This is episode 74. Farther along, let's go to church. Are we there yet? Farther along, we'll know all about it. Farther along, we'll understand. Why have you stopped in the last week and ask the question of why, especially as it relates to all the tragedy in life lately. I know I have, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that. Maybe we asked the question, God, why? Why is a young father not going home to his wife and two kids this week?

1:37 Why are their little children being harmed in our schools? And why is evil celebrated while your Saints suffer? Or maybe we ask why it wasn't stopped, or maybe even why it was allowed to happen. Maybe in the midst of our grief, we cry out like David and say as he did in Psalm 22, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me and from the words of my groaning? Oh my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not hear. Well, friends, I don't have the answers to these questions. No, I don't know why ultimately suffering is allowed to exist, or why it seems that in some instances the end result is deliverance and in the others it is demise.

2:21 I don't know why we are OFT made to wonder why it should be thus all the day long when sometimes we cry out to God for something miraculous to relieve the suffering or the persecution that we endure. But like the hymn says, farther along we will, and knowing that there are some things that we can take comfort in. Think back with me, if you would, to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel chapter 3. Let's set the scene for a moment. These three men are brought before King Nebuchadnezzar, and they're charged with not bowing to worship the great image that he had set up. And in his rage, the king gives them one more chance. He says if you do not worship this idol, then you will be cast into the fires of this furnace.

3:07 What would we have done? Would we have wrung our hands? Would we have bowed? Would we have defied the will of a king? Would we have called out to God for the miraculous, and in doing so made his response the hinge pin of our faith? This is a life or death situation, but notice what they say. Daniel chapter 316 through 18. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king. O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O King. But even if he does not, let it be known to you, O King, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.

3:52 They say God is able to save us, but even if He doesn't, we will trust in him. How inspiring. You know the rest of the story. God did not snatch them from the flames, but He was with them in the midst of it. He saw them through to the other side. But the trust that these men put in God did not hinge on his action. Rather, it relied on his sovereignty. You see, Nebuchadnezzar was not the king they were submitting to, it was Yahweh. And there's something we can learn from these three men. Trust in God even when we don't have the answers. Sometimes we sit around in distress and in turmoil and in doubt, all because of what is going on in our lives or in the lives of those around us. And we say, God, if you are acting in our lives, show me something miraculous.

4:42 Do the miraculous thing, pull us out of the fire, All the wild friends failing to realize that the miraculous life saving thing has already been done for us. Jesus died on the cross and he rose again. John 316 and 17 For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have ever lasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. No, we might not have all the answers, but I know who does, and He has already saved us from the flames, both in this life and in the next.

5:24 And you know, as long as I know that, I'll wait for answers to those other questions till I'm a little bit further along. The old hymn says Faithful till death, said our loving master. A few more days to labor and wait. The toil of the road will then seem as nothing as we sweep through that beautiful gate. So cheer up my brother, live in the sunshine. We'll understand. Well, those are my thoughts for your Sunday morning drive. Now it's time to hear yours. Our discussion questions for this week are, why do we sometimes lose sight of the fact that the victory has already been won? What can we do to build our reliance and trust in God and the promises of His Son? And what can we do this week to reach out and encourage someone who is struggling with these same questions?